Pictures are now online from Course de côte de Saint-Gouëno Masters Hillclimb..

Joe Courtney Reynard 913

Simon McKinley

Action from the Clare Motor Club Scalp Hillclimb is now online.

For all the news, results visit Irish Hillclimb.com

Funeral arrangements:

The funeral service for Simon McKinley takes place on Wednesday the 29^th at 12:30pm in the Naul village. Attending drivers are asked to bring their helmets.

I have added some pictures of Simon McKinley to the Gallery…

Simon McKinley

Irelands most spectacular and much loved racing driver Simon McKinley has left us, our close nit Hillclimb family is deeply traumatised by this sudden and totally unexpected accident on Scalp Hill yesterday.

We are heart broken at the loss of such a talented driver and much loved friend.

We offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Deirdre and baby Rory, his dad Peter and all of the McKinley family.

The Mansion House in Dawson St Dublin was the location for the launch of the 2015 Naylor Engineering Irish Hillclimb & Sprint championship.

The normally busy street came to a halt when the Engine of Rory Stephens Radical SR8 burst into life, heads popped out every doorway and window in the vicinity to watch as Rory guided the snarling fire-breathing Radical into position.

On display were the cars of Irish Hillclimb Champion Simon McKinley, DeirdreMcKinley, Rory Stephens and Dermot Nolan.

The event attracted a large number of spectators who were eager to have their photo taken with the cars  and the drivers.
Pictures from the event  are in the gallery and don’t forget the first rounds of the championship take place on 25^th – 26^th of April in Co Clare, it’s the perfect chance to see some of the fastest machinery in Ireland in action.

For more information visit

www.irishhillclimb.com for all the news, views and much, much more.

Motorsport Ireland Facebook page.

Denis Hogan

Adare Co Limerick came to a standstill today as the Irish Motorsport community came together to bid farewell to Denis Hogan senior. The arrival of the funeral cortege was announced by the unmistakable sound of the much loved Avenger of Denis, driven by Eanna Carroll ahead of the hearse.

As the procession made its way to the side of the church Eanna revved the car announcing to one-and-all that one of the most respected members of limerick motorclub had arrived.
During the mass the many adventures of Denis senior were recalled, his love of poetry, his passion for motorsport; and of course his love for his wife Pat and his family.

After mass his friends and fellow competitors flanked the hearse and walked the last few yards with Denis to the cemetery behind the church to say a final farewell…

Denis may be gone from our sight, but his contribution to Irish motorsport and Hillclimbing will live on; a legacy that may never be equalled.

From all of us here at Caora Dubha, we extend our sincere sympathies to the Hogan Family.

Joe Courtney Reynard

Mondello’s paddock was practically
full for the valentines weekend test day, the test session attracted a whole host of different cars and classes and as usual Caora Dubha.com popped in to record the event,

pictures are in the gallery and we’ll add more later.

Our thanks to the Mondello marshals & Crew for a cracking day of testing…

Sylvie Mullins Gould GR37

In just a few short weeks the Irish Hillclimb & Sprint championship will make its annual trip to the picturesque village of Ballyvaughan Co Clare, this year the Ballyvaughan Hillclimb weekend takes place on the 25^th – 26^th of April.

This is one of the do not miss weekends of racing that features two of Ireland’s most Iconic hills and besides, Ballyvaughan is renowned for its hospitality and excellent sea food. Action gets underway early on Saturday morning with some of the fastest race cars in Ireland going head-to-head in the stunning Burren.

Over the course of the weekend some very powerful machinery
will compete for championship points on two of the most challenging; yet technically different hills. The Scalp Hill is traditionally run on Saturday, and Ballyallaban hill on Sunday, both of these hills are regarded by any drivers to be among the most challenging and entertaining.

Robert Dwane Falcon Mini

The Scalp Hill is a fast technical challenge for the drivers. Speed is but one part of the equation; you really need very precise smooth driving to get the best out of this hill, be sure to watch out for Local driver Sylvie Mullins in his 600+BHP Gould GR37 and he is stunning to watch in action.

Simon McKinley Lant RT2

On Sunday the drivers take on Ballyallaban hill, and although the hill has been shortened (Booo!) it is still a hill with a fearsome reputation of being a car-breaker. The road surface is very abrasive and bumpy, and in places drops of thirty-feet or more lie
beyond its granite stone walls. The tight hairpin bends are off camber and very bumpy and the drivers really have to work hard to keep all four wheels planted on the road and the smallest of mistakes can be very costly indeed.

There are lots of safe viewing spots on Ballyallaban hill, but again we recommend you get there early and obey the Marshals instructions at all times.

The Ballyvaughan Hillclimb weekend is a very family friendly weekend of motorsport, there is lots to see and do that will keep the smallest member of your crew entertained. A walk around the paddock Sunday morning on Ballyallaban is highly recommended, it’s an excellent way to get up close to some of the stunning cars competing on the hills including some very rare historic cars. Drivers are only too happy answer questions about their cars and you’ll find out all sorts of Hillclimbing information and trivia too.

A word of warning, the paddock is a busy spot and young children should be supervised at all times, if you are taking pictures please do keep a discrete distance from the cars and allow crews to work away unhindered.

Why not visit the Aillwee caves, they are just a short distance away from the bottom of
Ballyallaban Hill, or perhaps a walk across the stunning Burren where some of Irelands oldest Megalithic tombs are to be found.  If you are feeling a bit peckish Logues Lodge in Ballyvaughan has an excellent menu and it’s a very cosy spot to rest your weary
feet.

I highly recommend taking the coast road from Galway to Ballyvaughan as the views are simply stunning.

For more information, news, views and lots more visit the Irish Hillclimb Web page

Want to take a peek at the cars in action? Well pay a visit vantage Point Video

Action from the Carlow Motor Club Traditional Christmas Rally
Sprint is now online.

The paddock in Mondello was bursting at the seams for the ever
popular Xmas Sprint. There was an amazing array of Machinery that included some
of the top mkii Escorts in Irish Rallying, WRC cars, Rallycross etc etc. Track conditions were very slippy; perfect for some sideways and every ways action.

Check out the Gallery.

A Big Thanks to all of the Marshals and Carlow crew for an excellent fun filled day of crack.

Happy New Year To you all…

Irish Hillclimb & Sprint 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXKm62zzqc

Half the Turkey is gone already…it’s nothing new for this house!

Well I’ve put a little slideshow together looking back on the year that was, and once again we would like to thank you all for the wonderful entertainment throughout the Year.

To all of the Marshals We say A BIG THANK YOU! for all the hard work; our sport would not run without the wonderful effort you put in.

In particular I’d like to thank Denis Hogan jnr the Irish Hillclimb & Sprint web master for his help and support promoting our little space on the web. McKinley motorsport for all their wonderful support and excellent cups of Tea, Granddad (Rory Stephens), Dermot Nolan, Gary (Garoline) Cunningham, The Courtney bros, Eanna Carroll, Senan O’Connor, Robert Dwane, Scott Milligan, Phil Price, Greg Guille, David Hunter, Mike Melia, Tommy Murphy and the Hillclimb Committee. And the list goes on and on, and On! Thank You All!

To all our friends in Saint-Gouéno & Harmoye France, and Patrick Weber and the folks in Eschdorf Luxembourg we thank you again for the wonderful hospitality and friendship that you extend to us. We wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas and we look forward to being in your company in 2015.

To all our friends we wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas and the very best of luck for 2015. We look forward to seeing you all at the start line.

 www.irishhillclimb.com for all Hillclimb & Sprint info.

www.youtube.com/embed/MkXKm62zzqc