Aaron O’Regan & Derek Butler: Kings of the Woods
Competitors on the recent 1000 Shakes probably endured more than 1000 Shakes given the deterioration of roads due to the melt water from recent heavy snow. The reality is the event only went ahead Thanks to the trojan work by Coillte to clear countless fallen trees. It was a crisp dry night perfect for competitors & marshals almost like the calm after the storm (& ironically the calm before the next storm). A new HQ, midnight start, long route consisting of over 70 Tp’s with a mix of new territory and the labyrinth of Ballyhoura roads a tough night was anticipated………
21 crews embarked on the compact 120 mile route based out of Glenroe, Co. Limerick featuring new territory right from the start. Departing Tp1 a grassy lane lead into an unknown forest however the forest entrance was narrow/ overgrown several competitors lost their LH mirror here – not an ideal start 200 yards into a 120 miler. Tp3 & 4 was a loop of another unknown forest where most crews wrong slotted up an unmapped road before taking the correct slot. The approach to Tp3 was down an unassuming narrow grassy lane which saw the front runners struggle to get stopped. Shane Dalton/ Ryan Treanor were the only crew not to drop time into Tp3. V1, Tp5 & V2 comprised of a loop around a quarry where everyone dropped at least 2 minutes. Following the Quarry was a straightforward section to Tp6 & on to TP7 where “Timecard A” was collected. Dalton/ Treanor led on 2. Pakie Duffy/ Evin Hughes were second on 5, Derek Butler/ Aaron O’Regan 3rd on 6 with James Fitzgerald/ Ken Carmody 4th on 7.
From Tp7 the route entered the Ballyhoura Forest Complex – a hornet’s nest if you know it, a daunting/ character building experience if you don’t! A maze of roads with a myriad of grip levels/ surface changes both crew members would need to be on form.
Tp202 was the first visit to the infamous “Helipad”, Tp203 was an unmapped road surrounded by “no goers” making it hard to decipher on map. The marshal at Tp203 lived 5 minutes away & didn’t even know the lane existed! The leader board was turned on its’ head at Tp204 where Treanor incurred a Wrong Approach losing the lead, Hughes missed Tp204 dropping him to 4th, Aaron O’Regan dropped 2 bringing him up to second while Ken Carmody didn’t flinch & took the lead. Treanor missed Tp212 – a tricky triangle with a very inviting unmapped road to lure you away from the actual Tp.
After the first SRS was plot & bash for 4 Tp’s, the first (Tp303) was a herringbone. Hughes, Treanor & top seed Patrick Corcoran did not fall for the trick however all the others did and were lured the wrong way. Fitzgerald/ Carmody incurred a wrong approach to Tp303 losing the lead while Butler/ O’Regan narrowly escaped the same fate to move into the lead which they never relinquished. The other plot & bash was routine however there was some un intended confusion with Tp304 where everyone dropped time. The remainder of the first half was straightforward, despite this most crews arrived to petrol running down 14 mins!
Butler/O’Regan led on 22, Fitzgerald/ Carmody held 2nd on 35, Dalton/ Treanor 3rd on 88, McDonagh/ Corcoran 4th on 112 & Duffy/ Hughes held 5th on 117. The semi experts were locked in a three way tussle at the halfway between Brian Oakes/ Ruairdhri Nash, Ray/ Stephen O’Neill & Declan Burke/ Eoin Longworth. Tony O’Keeffe/ Derek O’Donoghue led the Novice class & were inside the top ten. Seamus McHugh/ Gary Kelleher led the Beginner class ahead of Brian Duggan/ Susan Smyth.
The second half started with an SRS before returning to the Forests it was almost the same mix of roads but a different sequence – basically the same but different! There was another 4 plot & bash from Tp407 however a simple mistake/ typo by the CoC on the route instructions to Tp408 inadvertently sent competitors wrong, leaving them no choice only to cut to Tp412. Needless to say, those 4 Tp’s were scrubbed – unfortunately we will never know what impact if any they might have had on the leader board.
The top two practically cleaned the second half until they emerged from the forests back into strange terrain. Both O’Regan & Carmody dropped 1 into the final control which was an unknown yard with a Via in the middle. Treanor only dropped 3 on the second half while Corcoran amassed a further 103 penalties which dropped them to 5th. Whereas Hughes accrued an additional 54 penalties & climbed a place to 4th.
Kudos to Aaron O’Regan who proved he is “King of the woods”. The last time this event ran in the Ballyhoura’s (2022) Aaron won (with Gar Collins in a red Impreza). Driven by Derek Butler (in a different red Impreza!) he’s done it again – he loves those forests, he’s unstoppable in there! James Fitzgerald/ Ken Carmody were very strong runners up & must be lamenting their wrong approach – they’re overdue a good night. Championship leaders Shane Dalton/ Ryan Treanor completed the podium – a very solid performance on a very tough night which bodes well for their championship aspirations. Pakie Duffy/ Evin Hughes were 4th & Patsy McDonagh/ Patrick Corcoran were 5th they felt it just did not seem to click for them. Owen Murphy/ Patrick O’Sullivan climbed to 6th following a difficult night having incurred “50” early on followed by overheating issues.
Tony O’Keeffe/ Derek O’Donoghue claimed 7th & the Novice spoils – definitely a notable performance given this is only their second season. Trevor O’Callaghan/ Patrick O’Leary took 9th, Declan Burke/ Eoin Longworth completed the top ten & won the semi expert class. Brian Duggan/ Susan Smyth clinched the beginner class followed Seamus McHugh/ Gary Kelleher with James Dunphy/ Adam Coffey coming home 3rd Beginner.
A standout feature of this event has to be the live online results, full credit must go to the results team headed by Eoin Noonan for making this happen. Results were promptly finalised without any queries.
15 crews finished & 6 retired for various reasons. The penalties were big which is not ideal. It’s an impossible balance for organisers to set an event tough enough to challenge the front runners while keeping it attainable for the lesser experienced crews. We need newcomers to sustain our sport & I hope this event has not deterred anyone from continuing.
The suggestion repeatedly comes up “What about running an event for Beginners?” Should the sub committee/ MI/ we run a short regular event for Novice & Beginners only? Let the semi experts & experts help competitors plotting & then go & man time points? We would need at least 20 entries to make it worthwhile?
We are indebted to all the Residents, Landowners & people of Glenroe for their cooperation & support. Thanks to the All the Marshals for turning out in force – all time-points were manned. The complimentary soup and sandwiches hit the spot (circa 06.00!). The donations box raised €150 for Glenroe parish hall. Thanks to Limerick Motor Club for sharing their terrain & to their members who turned out in force before, during & after the event. Special Thanks to Elaine for everything while I was consumed with this event. I need to thank so many people however I’m afraid of forgetting somebody so Thank You sincerely to Everyone who helped make this event happen.
Thank you,
Greg Shinnors (CoC).
Results in Full:
