Hanlon Takes Moran Cup - MCUI Irish Trials Championship

Josh Hanlon, Gas Gas, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

The Dublin and District Motorcycle Club were hosts of the opening round of the 2026 MCUI Irish Trials Championship on Sunday. The beautiful Ballyreagh Wood was the venue in the Wicklow mountains. A challenging course of 10 sections and four laps would test everyone's fitness and stamina and also the time limit allowed to complete the course. 

Bray man Ciallian Doyle fresh from victory in the Southern Centre season opener a week before was out to try and make it a double. He would have stiff competition from the strong northern contingent this time however. 

Scott Callaghan from Johnstown in county Kildare, made his first southern outing of the year after a strong second place in last weeks Ulster Trials Championship to Josh Hanlon. Adam Harris was making his return to the Expert Elite class this year and it would interesting to see how he would fair out. Banbridge man Hanlon has had a busy few weeks between competing in the Trial Des Nations, a world round in Spain as well as Ulster championship would be the man to beat along with his brother Stuart. Stuart McClurg and former champion Sean Doyle would also be in the mix. The weather was glorious as the trial started at 10.30am with the Youth's, Clubman and Sportsman grades leaving first. Followed later by the Semi-expert, expert and elite.

 

Scott Callaghan, TRS, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Cillian Doyle, Gas Gas, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

The Youth C+ was won by Liam Killaly but it was close all day between the top three. Ruadhan McGinn was second and Luke Kelly third. Youth B went to Ollie Smyth in another close battle with Aaron Scanlon. Harry Schmelter took Youth A. With a large group of juniors coming through in the next season or so, it should boost the numbers further on the big course so things are looking bright for future trials.

In the Clubman grade it was the battle of the Pypers all day as they pulled clear of the rest of the pack with Stephen coming out on top ahead of Ross. Semi-Expert was won by Gary Wall it style finishing well clear of runner up Rob Regan.

The Expert grade was close all day with three marks separating Alex Lennox and Alex Guthrie after two laps. A costly mistake on section 5 when Guthrie land outside the tape cost him  five marks alone and Lennox won in end by ten. Still it was a good battle to watch all day.

At the top in the Expert Elite grade Hanlon was in a league of his own. The mileage done in the past weeks standing to him as he dropped 15 marks on the first two laps with Sean Doyle being his nearest challenger on 27. In fact, all bar Hanlon had dropped larger amounts on the first tag compared to their second. Sean Doyle scored the same on both so he stayed in fourth overall. The weather had changed by the fourth lap to a heavy mist and that could have played a part too but either way the race was for second. 

Sean Doyle, Scorpa, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Stuart McClurg, TRS, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

It was a closely fought battle as both Cillian Doyle and Stuart McClurg scored the same on the first tag and with time ticking by it was close to get to the finish without getting penalties. In the end Doyle took it by two marks. Stuart Hanlon had a heavy fall on section five damaging his hand and his clutch leaver so it ended his day. Harris was in touch on the opening two laps but fell off by the end of the fourth but still put in a good effort on his return to Elite Plus. Scott Callaghan was riding well but dropped too many marks on the first two laps but had a much better second and third but the damage was done which put him fifth. 

Speaking afterwards the winner was delighted to get the season off to the best start " I really enjoyed the event put on by the D&D Club. The sections suited me well, with a good mix of technical rockery and traditional streams. It turned into quite a physical trial towards the end, with the sections becoming slightly greasy.

I didn’t see many of the other Expert Elite riders through the sections, so I wasn’t sure where I stood. It was a relief to hear I’d done enough to take the win at the end of the day.

A big thanks to everyone involved in putting the event on, my Dad for minding, and my Mum, girlfriend and Pippa the dog for supporting."

Josh Hanlon, Gas Gas, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Josh Hanlon, Gas Gas, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Doyle may have finished second this week but was still upbeat after the event " Yeah it was a good day overall, happy to start the championship off with a P2, unfortunately I didn't settle as well as last week and threw away a few easy marks which pushed us out of the fight with Josh but glad to win a tight battle with Stuart and Seán. Hopefully we can build from here and try to push for some more good results going forward. "

Third place McClurg knew he didn't perform to his best," I couldn't get going at all, far too many silly mistakes in the tight and technical sections, that being said I did enjoy the day and looking forward to next Irish championship round in a couple of weeks time. I would also like to thank the observers and officials for there time."

Stuart McClurg, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Stuart Hanlon, Beta, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

Adam Harris, Vertigo, in action on section 5 during the Dublin & District Motorcycle Club Moran Cup Trial, Ballyreagh Wood, Co. Wicklow.

As the event was being wrapped up and the course returned to its natural state Adam Harris gave the lowdown on his day and that from the clubs point of view. "It was a big step back to the Expert Elite for me but I'm enjoying the challenge of it and to see the improvement of the other riders since I was in it last. The D&D were happy with how it went, from the feedback we got we achieved what we set out to do. That is mark sections challenging but ridable for all grades. Going by the results this worked for the most part. We couldn't have done it without all of the help from course markers, observers, sign on and results crew and of course all of the riders who entered!"

The next round of the championship is on the 31st of October at Dromore Activity Centre, Co. Down.

Cillian Doyle Wins Season Opener - MCI Trials

Cillian Doyle, Gas Gas, in action on section 6 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Bray man Cillian Doyle kicked of his MCI Southern Centre Irish Motorcycle Trials Championship in style by taking victory over his brother Sean on Sunday. The Leinster Motor were the organisers of the annual Octember Trial at the beautiful Carrigeenduff Wood  in the Wicklow mountains. 

With the first round of the National Championship taking place the following week it was a good opportunity to get more bike time ahead of it. After many years on Scorpa machinery the switch to Gas Gas has yielded impressive results for Doyle this year. Non more so than the prestigious Patland Cup last April and finishing an impressive 8th place last week in Spain as part of the Irish Team at the Trial Des Nations. 

Although Scott Callaghan and Johnny Carroll were not enter he still had tough competition from his brother Sean and Adam Harris. Competing at a world level competition clearly has raised his game as after the first two laps he was 15 marks clear of his brother and a massive 29 ahead of Harris. It shone through on section six, a tricky river where he didn't drop any marks all day compared to his chasers behind. While both men improved on their 3rd and 4th laps, they couldn't get close to the leader. Doyle was a clear winner by 20 marks putting down a good marked for those behind to up their game next time out. Speaking afterwards Doyle was happy how his day went " The bike went great all day and the course was brilliant, there was a bit of everything in it. It's been a busy couple of weeks but I'm glad to get the championship started with a win. Lets hope next week ends up the same!"

Adam Harris, Vertigo, in action on section 7 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Sean Doyle, Scorpa, in action on section 7 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Alex Guthrie and Craig Doyle battled all day in the Expert class with Guthrie coming out on top by 10 marks although Doyle lost 5 on that tricky river section. Gary Wall took the honors in the closely fought Semi- Expert class by 5 marks over Brian McLoughlin. The Clubman class provided the closest finish as Eugene Harrington took the honors by 1 mark over Mark Scanlon.

Harry Schmelter, TRS, in action on section 6 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Alex Guthrie, Gas Gas, in action on section 6 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Charlie Lawless, Vertigo, in action on section 7 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Glen Walsh, Gas Gas, in action on section 7 during the Leinster Motor Club Octember Trial. Picture: Jack Cregg.

 Youth A was won by Harry Schmelter, Youth B by Conor Keogh where 9 marks covered the top four riders. Youth C was won by Ruadhan McGinn with Liam Killaly second and Luke Kelly third. A fantastic turnout of 25 Junior riders took to their course on their side of the wood. Charlie McNulty took Junior A, Ewan Bublis Junior B, Flynn Clarke Junior C, Ruben Manning Junior D, and Joey Billings Junior E. 

The Tallaghtban Scoop awards at PartsforCars.ie IRX Irish Rallycross Awards

Petery McGarry, centre, with Michael Coyne, left, and Willie Coyne, right, with their trophies at the PartsForCars.ie IRX Rallycross Championship awards. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Once again Tallaght was well represented at the annual PartsforCars.ie IRX Rallycross Championship awards. The "Tallaghtban" as they are known are made up of the Coyne brothers Michael and WIllie, along with Peter McGarry who took home a large haul of trophies on the night. 

All competing in the same class in the championship they trades wins weekend in weekend out over the course of the season. So much so that the series came down to the smallest of margins with McGarry coming away with the title by a single point over Willie Coyne. This time last year Michael unveiled his new Citroen DS3 and with a year under his belt with it, he will pushing the other two to the end of the new season which starts in Mondello Park on the 3rd and 4th of October. All three got to compete during the summer at the FIA European Rallycross round which came to Ireland for the first time in 30 years. Michael being one of two drivers that day who competed in that round all those years ago.

Drew Furlong, Motorsport Ireland, presents Petery McGarry, with his trophies at the PartsForCars.ie IRX Rallycross Championship awards. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Title winner McGarry spoke of his championship year, " It was a busy year and it was great to have the European Championship coming over and to race in front of them and a massive crowd. In terms of our championship season it was very close winning it by a point in the end. It was a credit to the class and how competitive it is, I love it and the people in it are brilliant too. It was a brilliant year.

Drew Furlong, Motorsport Ireland, presents Willie Coyne, with his trophies at the PartsForCars.ie IRX Rallycross Championship awards. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Michael was also delighted how his year went; "I had the nova for 18 years so it was time for a change so I bought the Citroen and each time we went out we got quicker so we are getting there with it for next season. It's great for Tallaght to have three drivers competing in rallycross, I'm lucky to be at it the last 30 years and to compete at the European round this year after doing so all those years ago was my highlight."

Drew Furlong, Motorsport Ireland, presents Michael Coyne, with his trophies at the PartsForCars.ie IRX Rallycross Championship awards. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Willie was also pleased with his year despite missing out on the title by that single point; "I still get a buzz out of it every time. I love the Modified class as each race is like a final it's that close and competitive and the cars are going that fast now your on or more over the limit all the time. I'd like to congratulate Peter on his success and hand over the trophy from last year and battle for it again this season".