Is the tea on?

Team McShea Will Fly The Flag For Multiple Sclerosis Awareness At X-GAMES 14

2008-07-31T17:22:00.004-04:00

Niall Mc Shea [r] and co-driver Marshall Clark will represent, Team MS RACING at X-GAMES 14 this weekend in LA. Picture Subaru Rally Team USA.

By Neil McDaid
By taking the overall victory at the Maine Forest Rally on July 12, Ireland's Niall McShea and navigator Marshall Clark grabbed the last qualifying spot at the X-GAMES 14 Rally, which will take place in Los Angeles July 30-August 3.
The dust had barely settled on the Maine stages before negotiations were underway to secure a car and funds to make sure that McShea would be able to take his place at the Games. Subaru USA was the first to step up with a car and some sponsorship for McShea.

Even at 107mph, on his beloved 1967 Triumph TR6, this Irish American with ties to Co. Kerry has trouble staying ahead of Multiple Sclerosis. Nonetheless, Jim Haraughty vows to continue his race for awareness and a cure (Thomas Graf)

The same group of Irish businessmen from Pearl River, New York who brought McShea to Maine, would come through again with additional sponsorship to make up the balance. McShea will pilot the latest open class 2008 Subaru STI, prepared by Vermont Sports Car at the Games.
With the X-GAMES being televised to millions around the world and just as many again when it hits the very popular website YouTube, Team McShea felt it would be a great opportunity to donate space on the car to a worthy cause. Team McShea will display the Team MS Racing decals on the car, giving much needed exposure to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Team MS Racing and Team MS Foundation were founded by Jim Haraughty of Monana, Wisconsin. Jim and his wife Kathleen [nee, Gallagher] have ties to both Kerry and Donegal. In 2003, at the age of 45, Jim was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, November 12, to be exact, "It's a date that is etched in my mind," says Jim.
Jim had been very active all his life, started out as a tennis instructor who turned semi-pro and then was an avid motorcycle racer and cyclist. After being so active, he struggled with the early stages of the disease. "There were days when I just wanted to stop and not get out of bed. It's on these bad days when you need to dig deep and stay active, and not become a lump. If you don't, MS wins."
MS can affect your emotions as well as important cognitive functions like memory and concentration.
People with MS often experience devastating losses-for example of the ability to work, to walk, or even to engage in simple leisure activities.
With a lack of knowledge about the disease Jim's passion for life and family pushed him to explore every possible piece of information on MS. He quickly found out that that information on drugs and treatment was not so readily available.
As Jim began his many different treatments he came up with the idea for Team MS Racing. It was the start of his race against MS, a race to gain awareness, and more so a race to research and a cure.
Jim also started Team MS Foundation which works to assist people living with Multiple Sclerosis in their quest to remain active. It's important for people with Multiple Sclerosis to participate in life by remaining active; it's an essential element in living with the disease. But, Multiple Sclerosis can be a financial hardship that limits this necessary activity.
Team MS Foundation grants are awarded to individuals and members of families who live with, and deal with, Multiple Sclerosis in their lives to help keep them active.
Among his many goals for the team, Jim wanted to set an example that an active lifestyle is not something that needs to be given up while with living with MS. Over the past few years Team MS Racing's efforts on the American Historic Motorcycling circuit have attracted the attention of many in the motorsports community to the struggles of those with MS.
Despite dealing with the everyday challenges of MS, in 2007 Jim tackled a world record attempt at the infamous Bonneville Salt Flats on a production class 1967 Triumph TR6 motorcycle. With the bike stuck in third gear, Jim broke the record for the class reaching 107mph. Unfortunately, with the gearbox toast he could not make a second pass so the record did not hold.
Despite his disappointment at not getting the record, Jim's effort caught the attention of one of the USA'Sslargest motorcycle magazines, Motorcyclist. The magazine ran a story on the racer with MS, bringing MS awareness to their large reader base. For Jim it was "mission accomplished."
All going well Jim hopes to be able to have another crack at a record this year.
I spoke with Jim this week and asked him about getting some exposure for Multiple Sclerosis at the X-GAMES. "It's beyond excitement! I can't thank Niall and his supporters enough for giving Team MS Racing some space on the car. It's a dream come true."
Jim continues to battle new issues with MS with every passing day, but he also continues to add to his list of to-do's - "to keep the race alive, grabbing this life by the horns. And, I need to get a ride in one of these rally cars - I think I could navigate. " I am sure that could be arranged!

Somewhere among the glitz and commercial hype of the X-GAMES, Niall McShea will do his thing as a driver. He'll battle it out with defending X-GAMES Rally champion
Tanner Foust, the crazy car jumping Ken Block and Mr. X-GAMES himself, Travis Pastrana.
Regardless of the final result, Team McShea is already winners to those battling and living with Multiple Sclerosis around the world.
All going well he will also have brought just a little more awareness to the race against this disease.
The X-GAMES Rally will be shown live on ABC television between 3-6pm Eastern. Check your local listings for times in your area.

For More info: www.teamms.org, www.rally-america.com , http://rally.subaru.com/index.html

Subaru Rally Team USA - X Games 14

2008-07-31T17:21:00.000-04:00

Subaru Rally Team USA - X Games 14

Niall McShea is locked in for XGAMES 14

2008-07-15T17:59:00.010-04:00

“Mission accomplished” we heading to the XGAMES, Niall McShea [r] along with co-driver Marshall Clarke celebrate their first American rally victory and their place at the games. Picture Neil McDaid.

McShea Takes Victory at New England Forest Rally USA

By Neil McDaid

Newry, Maine, July 13, 2008. In what can only be described as a fantastic display of skill behind the wheel of a rally car, Ireland’s Niall McShea drove a very calculated rally and claimed the overall victory at the 2008 New England Forest Rally. By winning the event McShea also lands one of the much sought after spots at the 2008 X-Games 14 in Los Angeles, California.
Niall, who hails from Co. Fermanagh but now makes his home in Donegal, was the 2004 PWRC Champion [Production World Rally Championship]. He has competed all over the globe but until this point had not tackled the vast gravel stages in the USA.

“The men behind McShea” Far left, Sponsors Gerry Coffey and Enda McCormack, co-driver Marshall Clarke, the man himself, Niall McShea with car owner and sponsor Martin Donnelly. Picture Neil McDaid

The deal to have McShea come to the America came together rather quickly over the past few months when several Irish New York businessmen got together and hatched a plan to supply the car and sponsorship. Tyrone man Martin Donnelly supplied Niall with his fully rebuilt open class Mitsubishi EVO 8, while Enda McCormack and Gerry Coffey would offer additional financial sponsorship.
A slight change to the rules meant that Niall was not able to take advantage of any pace notes that were available from prior years but would basically have to write his own notes on a one pass recce.. As McShea’s regular co-driver Gordon Noble was not available, Marshall Clarke was called upon to call the notes for McShea on this event. It was not the first time that this duo had charged to victory; Clarke and McShea took top honors in GPN at WRC Rally Ireland last year.
Although the entries were greatly down from the prior years in Maine, the top 10 cars were all of top caliber. All had raced many times in Maine before, no doubt giving them an edge over McShea.

Subaru USA driver Ken Block had McShea in his sights throughout out the rally, but unfortunately Block would make a costly mistake on SS8 that ended his run. Picture Neil McDaid

Team Subaru USA was there in full force with their new 2008 Subaru STI’s. Travis Pastrana, the defending Rally America and New England Forest Rally Champion, was teamed up with Subaru’s second driver Ken Block who has been on fire throughout the 08 season for Team Subaru. You could be sure that they both had McShea locked in their crosshairs.
Rock Star Energy Drink’s Andrew Pinker would definitely be looking to claim the final spot at the X-Games 14 by finishing well in Maine. US based Irish driver Seamus Burke would be looking to be in the hunt if he could manage to shake the monkey off his back. Burke has had unbelievably bad engine management problems in 2008.
As Maine can be a tough rally for spectators to gain access to the stages, rally organizer John Buffum put on two spectator stages to open the rally. The first was at the Sunday River resort [the rally headquarters] and the second in the town of Mexico.
Andrew Pinker would claim the first short stage at Sunday River and Ken Block would take the run around the part in Mexico to claim victory on SS2. Seamus Burke will have to continue to feed the monkey as once again he would retire after one stage with engine failure.

Aussie, Andrew Pinker turned on the heat Saturday, but it was not enough to catch McShea. Picture Neil McDaid.

SS3 “South Arm S” would be the first true test on the event. Pinker would set the pace by 2 seconds over McShea with Ken Block rounding out the top three.
SS4 “South Arm N” would be a reverse of SS3. McShea must have liked what he saw on the way in as he set a tire warping pace on the way out taking the stage win by 15 seconds over Ken Block, and 34 second over Andrew Pinker. From there the cars would head back to Mexico for service before tackling the stage that has been dubbed “the co-drivers nightmare,” SS5 “Blind Pond”. Although Blind Pond is a short stage at only 5.6 miles it is very fast with a several hair-raising jumps - not for the faint of heart.
Ken Block laid claim to this stage in 2007 by setting the fastest time ever recorded for this test, this after having a disastrous off in 2006. Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino would again set the mark on Blind Pond, but only by 1.6 seconds over McShea. At the close of business on Friday McShea had taken full advantage of his fourth place seeding on the road in day-one, pushing hard where needed to make time. He managed to eke out a 9 second advantage over Ken Block to put himself in first place heading into Saturday.

“O mother” Eamonn Sweeney who was calling the notes for Joseph Burke, was praying for a soft landing on one of the infamous jumps on Concord pond. Picture Neil McDaid

Day-Two

Now running first on the road, McShea would have to deal with sweeping off the loose surface gravel on the stages, but he would not have to contend with the linger dust.
SS6 “Dillon Success” was the first of five stages on the slate for day two. After having to run first on the road on Friday, the Canadian duo of Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard, now running third on the road, found their pace and stopped the clocks 6 second ahead of Block and McShea who almost had the same time for the stage. The advantage went to Block who claimed second.
SS7 “Success Dillon” was a turnaround of SS6, and as he did on day one McShea would take full advantage of the line and take the stage win by 5 seconds over L’Estage. The rally caravan would then head northwest for the final three stages of the rally, and the final showdown.
With hundreds of rally fans, many with the tri-color flying lining the stage, McShea would tackle SS8 “South Mountain.” But, all was not well under the hood of the Mitsubishi. McShea’s car started to overhead and he was experiencing brake fade. For the first time in the event Travis Pastrana finally showed up and tied stage times with Andrew Pinker for the stage victory. In all honesty it was a massive feat for Pastrana to be even in the car, as he had just had knee surgery a few weeks back. L’Estage would take third and McShea would be a massive 13 seconds off the pace of Pastrana and Pinker.

Unfortunately, SS8 would claim Block and Gelsomino who had been running neck and neck with McShea. Block slide off the road and damaged a control arm, ending his rally.
Back at the final service of the day the concern in the McShea camp was obvious. It appeared that the water spray unit for the intercooler had failed, the exhaust had been damaged and the brake pads were steel on steel. It was all hands on deck as McShea rushed out to make the time control, more drama ensued! The exhaust had not been clipped in place correctly! In an instant Niall was under the car, made the repair and just about made the time control.
With only two stages remaining in the rally, even the Moose were holding their breath. With the uncertainty surrounding the condition of McShea’s car it was still all up for grabs. Anton L’Estage was a mere 15 seconds off McShea for the victory. Would we see the tri-color or the maple leaf fly on the final podium?

By the end of SS9 McShea had managed to hold the Canadian off by just one second, and Andrew Pinker in third by 6.9. Feeling more confident with the car McShea would throw caution to the wind and charge hard on the final stage, SS10 “Middle Dam Out.”
Niall would again roast the field, taking the stage win by almost 26 seconds over Andre Pinker, and whopping 50 seconds over Pastrana. Unfortunately, the only thing that Anton L’Estage would roast was his engine; he would not make it out of the final stage on his own power. McShea had claimed victory in his first US rally, and also claimed a place in the X-Games 14. Andrew Pinker would slot into second and the wounded Pastrana would claim the final spot on the podium.

Congrats all round, Joseph Burke congratulated Travis Pastrana on his podium finish, and likewise Travis gives Joseph the thumbs up on taking second in his class. Picture Neil McDaid

Early word is that McShea is going to pilot a partially backed Vermont Sports Car Subaru at the X-Games 14. Let’s hope he will find the additional sponsorship to make up the difference as he would surely be in mix for a medal.

Picture from Maine can be found here

http://AbhusAnseo.smugmug.com/gallery/5441329_wBWZR/1/332681364_CxXpW

"Duddy is King of the Castle"

2008-06-30T15:37:00.011-04:00

Ohioins wobble but they don’t fall down, despite several brutal attacks along the ropes by John Duddy, somehow Charles Howe managed to stay on his feet to take the fight the full distance. Picture Neil McDaid

“The King of the Castle”
By Neil McDaid

Boston, Ma. June 28, 2008. John Duddy was back in the greater Boston area this past weekend for the Irish Ropes Promotions’ “Hassle in the Castle”. It was only the third time that the very popular Derry boxer has fought in the greater Boston area, and once again he did not disappoint.
Duddy headlined a five bout card, taking on the 25th opponent of his pro career. On this night John would face off with Charlie Howe at center ring, Howe fighting out of Grelton, Ohio was coming into this matchup with a record of 17 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws.
The venue was the Park Castle in downtown Boston. John Duddy had taking victory #15 in this very building back in 2006 over a tough Julio Jean. Despite reporting on most of John’s fights to date, I am still in awe at the reception that he receives as he makes his way to the ring. Granted this was not Madison Square Garden, but the atmosphere in the Castle that was filled to capacity was just electric.

Duddy has been vocal in his disappointment with how some in the media reported his last fight as if he had lost, even though he still has a perfect record. With his new trainer in tow, Duddy would make his way to the ring with clear intentions of getting back on track, and therefore erasing any question about his ability or commitment.
Duddy has spent the past few month in Florida with his new trainer Pat Burns. Burns has been working with John to try and break him of his tendency to get into unnecessary brawls which have been a trademark in his last few fights.
As the rounds got underway Duddy looked more composed, more settled in the ring. He did not have the same urgency to get his opponent on the canvas in the first minute. He was more calculated, yet nonetheless devastating in his delivery. In the weeks leading up to this fight, with limited information or video on Charlie Howe many people, myself included, thought he was lined up as an easy mark for Duddy. How wrong we all were. Charlie Howe came to Boston to fight. Although Duddy had the edge on Howe early Charlie would not back away, nor had he any intention of lying down.
For the first time in many fights Duddy was working his jab. He still had the tendency to hold his head forward but Howe could not really take advantage as Duddy bobbed and weaved showing great improvement in his defensive posture. Howe would find himself on the ropes often throughout the fight; Duddy pounding Charlie with everything in the Derry man’s arsenal. Round after round there was a trend forming of Howe being saved by the bell. I must have counted 5 times throughout the fight were Howe had no legs, but miraculously he managed to hang in for the bell each time.
Howe had his moments along the way landing a few hard shots to the head of Duddy. On several occasions he had Duddy covered up in a defensive posture. Howe often tried to find his way in with big overhead rights often hitting Duddy on the back of the head. Duddy did a better job in this fight to avoid eating flush shots to the head, and never seemed to be in trouble with any of the big shots Howe connected with.
Duddy almost got through this fight without a cut until an accidental clash of heads in the ninth opened a nice gash on John’s right eye. He managed to get through the round so his corner could take care of the damage. Notably missing from John’s corner this outing was big George Mitchell, who has been John’s cut man for the past few years. Mitchell can certainly take much credit for keeping John in many previous fights with his magically corner repairs.

Showing the marks from the destroyer’s gloves, Charlie Howe was gracious in defeat; he had managed to stay standing despite some massive attacks from Duddy. Picture Neil McDaid

In the end it was Duddy all the way. The judges at ringside scored the bout 100-90; 100-90; 100-90. With that, John claimed his 25th pro victory. Howe was a gentleman in defeat. Despite the loss he proved to all in attendance that he had no fear and that he possessed a chin as tough as Rockall.

After taking victory number 25, the question now is, where to next Mr. Duddy, seen here flanked by the team that will guide his next move, [L to R] long time corner-man Orlando Carrasquillo, John Duddy, his new trainer Pat Burns, Nutritionist Joseph Burns, and match-maker Jim Burzell. Picture Neil McDaid

The question now on everyone’s mind is, “where

to next Mr. Duddy?” Since missing his golden chance at the coveted middleweight title against Kelly Pavlik, the middleweight landscape has changed greatly.
At this point in time it seems unlikely that Pavlik’s promoter Bob Arum will pass on some of the potential big fight opportunities that have been tossed around in the past few weeks for his man. Names like that of Sergio Mora, super middleweight Joe Calzaghe, the impressive German Arthur Abraham and not to mention Bernard Hopkins and “Winky” Wright are all waiting for a big payday. They would all seem to offer a bigger payday over a fight with John Duddy. But hold a second, that’s about as long as it takes for things to change in boxing. John Duddy has mass appeal; his is the classic gentleman boxer, adored by many.

“Mobbed” After taking victory #25 John Duddy is mobbed by his adoring fans as he makes his way back to the dressing rooms. Picture Neil McDaid

The general consensus in boxing is that John Duddy would be no match for Kelly Pavlik at this point in time, but one has to ask, if not now when? Can John really get much better? Granted it would be a great payday for John, although no one wants to see him get seriously injured. Everyone agrees that John will give it his all and maybe, just maybe, that might be enough on the night.

The sweet taste of victory, John Duddy gets ready to do a victory lap around the ring to thank the many fans that turned out to see the man from Derry city fight. This was only the third time that Duddy showed his stuff in the greater Boston area. Picture: Neil McDaid

A more promising, yet less lucrative direction was offered by Pat Burns after the fight. He is suggesting that John should move down in weight and opt to go after the likes of a junior middleweight belt. Nothing has been set in stone at this point; we expect to hear more from Irish Ropes on Duddy’s next move in the coming weeks.

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Undercard Action
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Other notables for the Irish were Donny “Boy” Orr an Irish–Canadian who took a unanimous decision over Roberto “EL Viejo” Valenzuela in eight rounds.

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Mark Clancy by way of County Clare Ireland, lands a wicked left to the head of the wily Salah Zabian from Lee Ma. Clancy had this fight in the bag from the opening bell, landing some hard shots that sent his opponent onto the ropes many times. Picture Neil McDaid

Cruiserweight Mark Clancy of Doolin, Co Clare, now fighting out of Boston, improved his record to 8-0-1 by out boxing a wily Salah Zabian. Zabian was billed as a “cagey veteran.” He is definitely a unique character which I am sure has frustrated all 16 opponents he has meet throughout his pro career. Despite Zabian’s in ring antics, Clancy managed to track him down and unleashed some brutal attacks. Several times Zabian seemed ready to kiss the canvas, but he would get a burst of energy and lunge forward at Clancy. The bout would go the full distance of 6 rounds, with Clancy easily taking each round.

Still unbeaten Mark Clancy celebrates his victory with his friend John Dunlevy, John who is also a champion in the martial arts has lead Mark into the ring on many occasions carrying the Irish flag. Picture: Neil McDaid

Boston GAA: Results from Sunday June 22nd 08

2008-06-25T12:11:00.010-04:00

E-a-s-y Nora! The senior ladies would open Sundays action in Canton with a strong showing from the Brighton based Tir Na Nog crew by taking a commanding lead early over the Roscommon ladies and never looking back.

Picture/ Neil McDaid

Tir na nOg 2-15 Roscommon 0-10

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Tug of war, Things got a bit heated in the first half of the senior hurling match. After the dust and tempers settled both teams got down to playing a very exciting fast paced game, which would offer up some fantastic scores. Although it seemed that Wexford had the early advantage, Galway would managed to match scores with the Men of the south resulting in a draw. Picture / Neil McDaid

Galway 1-11 Wexford 2-8

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Double trouble, with his team down a man after a red card infraction, Donegal’s Sean McEwain finds himself under pressure as he charges through mid field. Picture / Neil McDaid

Donegal 3-9 Armagh-Notre Dame 2-11
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In the final game of the day, Cork would struggle in the first half to stay with the pace of the Tones. Picture/ Neil McDaid

Cork 2-5 Wolftones 0-20

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"Hassle In The Castle"

2008-06-25T11:11:00.003-04:00

Duddy vs. Howe headlines Saturday night’s
“Hassle In The Castle” pro boxing show in Boston

Boston Ma. (June 25, 2008) – The return of unbeaten world middleweight title contender “Ireland’s” John Duddy to Boston highlights Saturday night’s (June 28) “Hassle In The Castle,” presented by Irish Ropes Promotions, at The Castle.

Duddy (24-0, 17 KOs), rated No. 2 by the WBC and WBO, faces Charles Howe (17-4-2, 9 KOs), in the 10-round main event. The tough hearted fighter from Galliagh in Derry will look to wipe clean the memory of his last fight. John has a growing fan base in Boston, where he has fought twice in the past and served as a television color analyst in the past.

For Duddy this could prove to be an important fight in that if he at all struggles with Charles Howe John’s chances of getting a title shot anytime soon will vanish. Howe is an unknown entity who has only fought a few times outside of his native Ohio. Nonetheless, boxing has often taught us, never underestimate the underdog. Charles Howe will be looking to make a name for himself much like Walid Smichet did back in February, when he shocked all including Duddy at Madison Square Garden as he knocked a bit of the shine off the Derryman.

Howe is coming off a loss in his last fight against Joey Gilbert for the WBC USNBC Middleweight title last August in Las Vegas. Duddy fight fans will be expecting big things from John in his return to Boston, a kickback to the explosive knockout style in which Duddy took out Lenord Pierre would go over very well.

The 8-round co-feature pits a pair of middleweights, 2000 Canadian Olympian Donald Orr (12-0, 5 KOs), now fighting out of South Boston, against former Mexican Pacific Coast champion Roberto “El Viejo” Valenzuela (44-37-2, 37 KOs)

Two-time U.S. National amateur champion Edwin Rodriguez (6-0, 5 KOs), of Worcester (MA), takes on dangerous Hector Hernandez (10-2-2, 4 KOs) in a 6-round bout.

Also on the undercard in a pair of 6-rounders, Boston by way of Ireland cruiserweight Mark Clancy (7-0-1, 1 KO), 4-time Irish National amateur finalist, meets Salah Zabian (6-10, 4 KOs), of Lee (MA), while Lynn (MA) junior welterweight Simeon Dunwell (7-0, 2 KOs) squares off against Aaron Drake (13-6, 9 KOs). Anthony Accardo (1-0, 1 KO) fights Broderick Antoine (2-5-1, 1 KO) in a 4-round match. All bouts and fighters are subject to change.

Picture©Neil McDaid.

UPDATES COMING THIS WEEK

2008-06-23T08:51:00.000-04:00

Great result for Gallagher at WRC Jordan

2008-04-27T16:49:00.013-04:00

Image: World Rally Team Ireland

By Neil McDaid
Jordan, April 27, 2008 -- Ireland’s Shaun Gallagher gets his first ever WRC rally podium finish in the second round of the 2008 J-WRC Championship.
This is a fantastic result for this Letterkenny, Co Donegal native who has been working hard to make a name for himself after winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. His 2008 campaign got off to a rough start when he fell victim to a viral infection at the first round of the championship, Rally Mexico. It severely hampered his ability but, nonetheless, he managed to muster up a sixth place finish.
A new and spectacular addition to the WRC calendar for 2008, Rally Jordan would not only test driver’s ability to get through the fast and technical stages, but also their personal endurance to keep going through the incredible desert heat. The rally would set up headquarters some 30 miles south of Jordan’s capital Amman, in the spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes of the Dead Sea, the lowest land point on earth.
Rallying under the sponsorship of Tommy Mullen’s “World Rally Team Ireland” Gallagher would get a change of navigator for Rally Jordan. He would now be teamed up with the vastly experienced Paul Kiely from Sligo. Paul helped guide Eugene Donnelly to many a rally victory, along with several Irish Rally Championships to boot; his experience would surly help Gallagher achieve his goals.
After the first day of competition the Irish duo were holding their own despite the grueling heat and some niggling technical problems. "It's very physically demanding, the heat saps every bit of energy from your body. I am just totally focused on keeping the car on the road. It is tough going, but I am really getting a feel for the car,” said Gallagher.
Into day-two their Citroën C2 S1600 now began to develop gearbox problems further adding to the challenge for the Irish team. Nonetheless, the team would push on in an effort to capture as many coveted championship points as possible.
Heading into day three Gallagher and Kiely were holding down fourth overall despite still suffering gearbox problems. The team had all but given up the ghost of catching J-WRC rally leader Patrick Sandell and focused their attention on third. As fate would have it, rally leader Sandell would go off the road on SS17 retiring him from the event. The Citroen of Frenchman Sebastien Ogier would move to first. Jaan Molder would move to second while Gallagher would find himself in a podium position in third. On the penultimate stage, SS20, with pressure from Gallaher for second, Molder made a costly mistake and drove his Suzuki Swift S1600 off the road and retired.
In the end Sebastien Ogier would claim the victory with an elated Shaun Gallagher in second, “The last stage was amazing - the windows wouldn’t go up at the start of the stage so we just had to go. Now we’re covered in dust and it was really hard to see the road for 40 kilometres! It was such a tough event and testing in so many ways, I can’t believe it after the gearbox problems we’ve had all weekend. It’s unreal! This morning I said to [co-driver] Paul to forget about the gearbox and just drive, and it worked! I hope to have a smooth run in Sardinia and get some more good points.”
This victory now puts the Irish World Rally Team second overall in the championship, a great position heading in to round three of this six round championship. Gallagher would go on to say, “I am delighted to have finished in second place. It was a tough, hard rally and I will be looking forward to getting back to the temperatures of Letterkenny in Donegal!” After the rally, CEO of World Rally Team Ireland, Tommy Mullen, said the result was a testament to the incredible talents of a young and ambitious rally team. “Shaun Gallagher & Paul Kiely did Ireland proud out here in Jordan. We were very worried with the mechanical problems in the gearbox and I did not think we were going to make it to the finish of the rally. “

Ken Block dominates at Rally New York

2008-04-27T16:49:00.011-04:00

By Neil McDaid

Ellenville, New York, April 4, 2008. Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, claim top honors at Rally New York, effectively stripping the Irish of their grip on the rally from its onset. The victory now puts Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino ahead in both the United States Rally Championship and the Rally America National Championship, a position that has never been achieved before.
With the entry of Ken Block in this very popular east coast event there was clearly a heightened sense of excitement Thursday evening as legions of Subaru-driving rally fans began to descend into the quiet little Catskills town of Ellenville. The rally would be run over two days; each day would count as a separate rally. The total overall positions for both days combined would be scored as points towards the United States Rally Championship for 2008.

Drivers and co-drivers were given the opportunity Thursday to take a two pass recce over the special stages which were to be contested throughout Ulster and Sullivan Counties. Although the weather conditions for the recce were bright and sunny the forecast for day-one of the rally was bleak, to say the least. By 8pm on Thursday evening the local forecast was calling for overnight snow and rain. You could see a mild panic sweep through the service area as crews scrambled to make extra cuts in their tires in a bid to compensate for the unknown conditions that their drivers would face the next day.

As the first glimmers of morning light crested the Catskills it would reveal some very unpredictable conditions for the crews. Although it had only snowed lightly at rally headquarters, with the vast elevation changes in the Ellenville area it was anyone’s guess what surprises the stages would hold for the first cars out.
Just a few minutes before 9am on Friday morning, the first of some 35 cars were at the starting line. SS1 would be named in honor of Sgt. Eddie Ryan a local veteran injured in Iraq. As victor of the prior running at Rally New York in 2007, it would be the defending United States Rally Champion, Seamus Burke that had the daunting task of running first on the road. Unfortunately the wet, slick stage conditions would be the least of Burke’s troubles. This was the first time out in his open class Mitsubishi after it had been repaired following his big off in Laughlin last Fall. Based on Burke’s pace on the first test it was clear that all was not well with the car.

As if sensing Burke’s troubles, and despite the slick conditions, fellow Irish driver Charlie Donnelly attacked hard on the first stage, bettering Burke’s time by two seconds. But it would be Team Subaru driver Ken Block, seeded third in the start order, who would make his presence known early. Block would stop the clock 4 seconds faster than his nearest rival. He then went on to set fastest times on all but one of the first six stages of the opening day. Despite putting in a great run to match times with Block on SS3, Charlie Donnelly was down by 25 seconds at the end of section one. Polish driver Otis Dimiters would round out the top three. Ivor Wigham would be the first retirement of the rally after going off the road and hitting a stone wall on SS4.

As the crews set out for section 2 of the rally, things would really start to unravel for the Irish drivers. SS7 was the last we would see of both Seamus Burke and Charlie Donnelly. Their Mitsubishis would be sidelined with mechanical problems. A failed front differential would send Donnelly’s car to the trailer and a failed gearbox would end Burke’s hopes of retaining his Rally New York title. The abrasive tarmac stages would also take their toll on Enda McCormack’s Mitsubishi; Enda also retired with differential problems on SS7. Despite the loss of some of his top rivals, Block would not lift. Taking full advantage of his first full tarmac outing, he would continue to push and test his pace on the black stuff. A hard launch off the start line on SS9 would break a front axle on Paddy Brennan’s Subaru knocking him out of the running on day one.

At the end of section two and the completion of 10 stages, like an old tarmac pro Block was holding a one minute advantage over Otis Dimiters in second. Representing the Irish hopes, Martin Donnelly and Stephen Duffy were holding onto the final podium spot in third.
The rally would complete two additional stages in Ellenville before moving west to Monticello for the final 4 stages of day-one. Block would, again, dominate by setting the fastest times on all stages on section three.

It was quickly becoming apparent that unless Ken Block made a mistake or encountered a mechanical problem on stage, he was going to be all but impossible to reel in. At the conclusion of the first day’s competition, the top three were Block, Dimiters and C. Donnelly.
Day two would see the competition move to the township of Neversink for the first of six special stages. Some of the competitors that had dropped out on day one took advantage of the rally format and would re-enter. Irish drivers Enda McCormack, Seamus Burke and Paddy Brennan were all back. But for Burke it was all too short lived as he would retire after only one stage with continued gearbox problems.

Otis Dimiters set the pace on the opening test of day two, eking out a two second advantage over Block. As the morning stages progressed it was a repeat of day one - a total domination by Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino. Despite a spin and a flat the Subaru team would go on to take the overall victory by over four minutes ahead of Otis Dimiters. Martin Donnelly and Stephen Duffy would manage to salvage the final podium place for the Irish bringing their Mitsubishi home third.

Block was clearly pleased with his first outing on a full tarmac event. “I really enjoy the tarmac form of rally because it is so different and more technical than gravel. You have to be so precise, but that challenge is what made it such an amazing experience,” said Block. “We were here primarily to get some more reconnaissance experience but I have wanted to run a full tarmac event for a long while now. I adapted better than I expected to the tarmac and I am looking forward to racing some more tarmac events again sometime in the future.”

He has also shown interest in competing on some of Ireland’s world famous tarmac events. Both Donegal and Killarney had been mentioned, but at this time no confirmed plans are in place.
Other notable finishes for the Irish, from the New York area, were Gerald Coffey and Dave Dooly who managed to capture sixth overall despite multiple problems on day one. Brothers Michael and John O’Leary captured seventh overall and were definitely a big hit with the spectators with their “never a dull moment” driving style. Michael Cosgrove and Seanie “Legend” O’Reilly would claim first overall in pre-mod AWD on day one. Keeping the lights on for the Boston Irish was “Broslan” (Dan Broslan), who would take 3rd overall on day two in the 2WD open class. Next up for the Irish will be Rally Tennessee in May.

Andy Lee Stopped in the 7th

2008-03-25T14:10:00.008-04:00

Fight promoter Lisa Elovich of Pugnacious Promotions, awaits the arrival of Andy Lee to the ring with Irish fight fans, Darrell Doyle and Seamus Faircliff. Photo/ Neil McDaid.

Report and photos by Neil Mc Daid
Uncasville, CT, March 21, 2008 - Andy Lee, the highly touted middleweight from Limerick, Ireland was handed the first defeat of his professional career by the gloves of a hard brawling Texan, Brian Vera, thus dropping Lee to 15-1-0.
Born in London, this son of Irish emigrants from Limerick moved to Ireland at the age of fourteen with his family. Following the lead of his elder brothers, Lee found himself in the gym at an early age. As an amateur, Lee competed as a middleweight. He would claim a silver medal at the 2002 Junior World Championships in Santiago de Cuba.
Lee qualified to represent Ireland at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With an impressive showing at the Olympics, Lee caught the attention of renowned trainer/manager Emanuel Steward. Lee moved to the USA and now resides in Detroit fighting out of Steward’s Kronk GYM.
Lee came into Friday’s fight, coming off an impressive victory, in February, over Alejandro Gustavo Falliga, a fight that was held at the University Arena in Limerick. Lee was a standout favorite over Brian Vera for this nationally televised match carried live on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. Vera’s greatest recognition to date was his appearance on the TV reality show “The Contender” where Vera recorded his only loss in 15 fights to Jaidon Codrington.
Stepping through the ropes, Lee seemed surprisingly relaxed, smiling and gesturing to the cheering Irish fans in the crowd and chatting with Steward. It seemed that Lee had little concern for Vera.

Andy Lee rocks Vera in the first round and eventually sends the Texan to the canvas. Photo/Neil McDaid

Lee would start the first round utilizing his advantages over the smaller Vera, keeping the brawler at bay, looking for his opening. Lee launched a hard right-left combination to the head of Vera that wobbled the Texan. Lee would continue the hunt and would again find an opening, this time sending Vera back onto the canvas. Vera would get to his feet quickly, but still took the referee’s count in his corner.
Into the second Lee would continue to work his long jab, often followed by some hard counter shots to the head of the Texan, Lee neglected to work the body, a mistake he would pay for later in the rounds. Nonetheless, Vera would not back down, often coming forward working his way in past the long reach of Lee. Vera would eventually find his target landing several flush shots of his own to head of the Irishman.
Into the third and fourth rounds, with both fighters not backing down, Lee still held a very slight advantage over Vera on the judges’ cards.
Towards the end of the fourth it would be Vera that would draw first blood, opening a cut on the right eye of Lee with a beautiful right hook. Seeing blood, Vera stepped up the pace and continued to pursue Lee around the ring.
Into the fifth, Vera now sensed that he had knocked the Irishman off his game plan. It was clear that he was looking to end the fight as quickly as possible. Vera’s persistent badgering of Lee seemed to be paying off as the fight entered the sixth round; Lee looked very tired. Throughout the round Vera would back Lee into a corner and let loose, but Lee would often find a way out.
As the bell rang for the seventh round, the Limerick man that stepped forward to center ring was clearly winged. He was now holding his right arm lower than previous rounds, had cuts on both eyes and was bleeding from the mouth. The end seemed near. This was quickly proving to be Lee’s toughest fight to date.

Showing the toll of this hard battle himself, a slowing Vera would try with all his might to keep the pressure on Lee. He would again force Andy into the corner, his back against the ropes. Vera would give it his all, throwing everything he had at the wounded Lee. Somehow Lee stayed on his feet. Digging deep Lee managed to return fire, but it was too little too late. Referee Tony Chiarantano stepped in and stopped the fight.

Chiarantano’s decision to stop the fight drew boos and jeers from the crowd and from some at ring side but, in my opinion, it was justified and could have been stopped several seconds sooner. Although Andy did throw the last shot in the fight, from my vantage point at ringside it was clear that Andy was not defending himself while trapped in the corner. He took some big unanswered shots to the head from Vera.
Before being taken for stitches and a Cat scan after the fight, Lee commented on the fight, "Vera's a tough guy. He was strong. I thought I could continue but it's the referee's decision. He hit me too much." Andy also seemed very disappointed in his own lack of discipline and continued, “Credit to him [Vera], he drew me into a fight. It was my own fault. I didn't listen to (my trainer) Emanuel (Steward).”
Standing by his fighter’s side, Steward was already looking ahead, "Andy wanted to fight him too much. He stayed on the inside too much, trying to fight him and he got tagged. It happens. "We're already trying to set up a rematch in July. Andy just made a mistake. He let Vera turn it into a brawl."
Andy Lee had been scheduled to appear on the undercard of the Kelly Pavlik Vs Gary Lockett in Atlantic City on June 7th. By all accounts a rematch between Lee and Vera is already well underway, it’s not out of the question that they would meet on this date. There is little question that Lee has the right stuff, but much like his fellow Irishman John Duddy he will just have to be better prepared to adjust when faced with a brawler.

Close call for Duddy

2008-02-26T23:37:00.005-05:00

Duddy caught off guard by Smichet

By Neil McDaid
February 23, 2008 - Madison Square Garden, New York - In the weeks leading up to John Duddy’s scheduled bout on the undercard of the Klitschko vs Ibragimov unification title fight, there was very little, if any, press on John’s opponent Tunisia native Walid Smichet. The pre-fight hype was more focused towards the potential opportunity for Duddy to get a shot at the middleweight world title in June against the reigning champion, Kelly Pavlik. Although John insisted in pre-fight interviews that he was not thinking about the opportunity to fight Pavlik until he got past Smichet, it would seem that the Duddy camp underestimated the threat that the Canadian based Smichet might pose when they made this match.
Stepping into the ring Duddy definitely looked the better conditioned fighter. But, an explosion of powerful combinations by Smichet in the first round rocked Duddy’s world. At one point John stood in the middle of the ring, gloves by his side, unable to answer the barrage of shots to his head. Smichet (17-4-3, 13 Kos) landed 52 of 108 punches in the first according to CompuBox. It was a miracle that Duddy survived the first round without hitting the canvas.
Duddy came out on the attack in the second, backing up Smichet. However, he soon became the hunted as Walid would again unleash a few powerful shots. Duddy’s cut man, big George Mitchell, was kept busy between rounds trying to stop the flow of blood from a horrendous cut on his fighters left eye. As John sat in his corner, blood spewing from his eye, you almost expected him to call out, “Adrian, Adrian” as this was like a scene from a Rocky movie. But there was no fiction here. John had to continue his fighter’s heart and the toughness of his chin would be tested on this night.
Duddy would again be rocked hard in the forth, but he somehow managed to hang in. The battle continued through the fifth, toe to toe around the ring, never more than a few feet apart. It was obvious that Smichet had studied his opponent well and worked on John’s weakness often. One would have to think that Smichet was in command after five. With his passionate legion of supporters chanting, “John-ny, John-ny”, Duddy’s superior fitness would start to show over his opponent.
Although still dangerous, Smichet seemed to slow as the rounds wore on. Working his jab a little more late in the rounds, Duddy would manage to land a couple of flush shots to the head of Smichet. As the seconds ticked away in the tenth Duddy seemed to stay clear of his opponent. This provoked Smichet to gesture with open arms, as if to say, “come on, let’s fight.” This was definitely not what the Duddy camp had in mind heading into Madison Square Garden. It was merely supposed to be a warm-up fight to a title shot, appositive showing in front of HBO.
Despite one of the poorest performances from Duddy to date he would somehow manage to eke out a victory on the judges’ cards, One judge scored the bout a 95-95 draw, while the other two saw it 98-92 in favor of the Derry man. After the fight John commented, “It wasn't my greatest performance, my timing was off. I was trying too hard to impress tonight. I was far from perfect. I wasn't letting my hands work for me. I trained a lot better than my performance but it's another learning curve fight for me."
Clearly unhappy with the judges’ decision Smichet said, "Look at my face, look at his, and you tell me who won.” He continued, "I thought it was close, but I thought I had the edge. I hit him with better punches."
The horrendous cut on Duddy’s eye has put the June title fight with Pavlik on the back burner according to Pavlik’s promoter Bob Arum after the fight.
"It's silly to force the fight," said Arum, who still wants Pavlik to fight in June. "You don't know if (Duddy) is going to fight or not fight. ... But Kelly's going to fight three times this year so we'll do it down the road."
After Duddy’s performance on this night one has to ponder is John really ready to challenge for the title anytime soon. This upset for Duddy might very well open the door for fellow Irish boxer Andy Lee to step into the title scene.

Rally New York

2008-02-14T23:53:00.003-05:00

RALLY NEW YORK SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH NEVERSINK
AND OPENS ENTRY FOR RALLY NEW YORK USA

Neversink, New York (February 15, 2008) Rally New York organization signed an agreement with the Town of Neversink in Sullivan County New York, which makes available new special stages within the Town of Neversink, and opened the entry for Rally New York USA to be held on April 4 – 5, 2008. The entries for Rally New York USA have already started coming in (http://www.rallynewyork.com/).

This development comes on the heels of the three-year contract Rally New York organization signed with the Town of Wawarsing for the roads in the Wawarsing/Ellenville area of Ulster County, New York with a new special stage in the area of the historic Mt. Cathalia hillclimb and with the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York that covers the spectacular special stage at the Concord Resort in Monticello.

In a related development, Ellenville Regional Hospital received a donation from Rally New York in appreciation of the community support for Rally New York events.

Rally New York USA on April 4 – 5 is the first round of the United States Rally Championship (http://www.usrallychampionship.com/). It is an all-tarmac event. Tarmac rallies, which are popular elsewhere, are rather rare in the US. The United States Rally Championship Competitors have the opportunity to participate in two tarmac events in two successive months – Rally New York USA in April and Rally Tennessee in May – with the same tarmac equipment. These two rallies are the only all-tarmac events in the Nation. Competitors from the western part of the Unites States may be able to make one trip to the East to participate in both events. Rally New York would store their vehicles for the second event.

Rally New York organization also presents the International Rally New York on October 31 – November 1, 2008. It is a gravel event that is the final round of the United States Rally Championship. All Rally New York events are conducted according to the international rules with three-pass reconnaissance on Thursday and two days of racing on Friday and Saturday.

RNY Media

Duddy returns to MSG

2008-02-13T00:15:00.005-05:00

John Duddy taking another bite out of Big Apple Duddy-Smichet on Feb. 23 Klitschko-Ibragimov card at MSG

NEW YORK (Feb, 12th 2008) – World middleweight title contender “Ireland’s” John Duddy is looking forward to fighting again in his adopted New York City home for the first time since last May, when he battles tough Tunisian brawler Walid “Tempete de Sable” Smichet (17-3-1, 13 KOs) in the 10-round, off-TV co-feature on the February 23rd heavyweight championship unification show headlined by IBF king Wladimir Klitschko and WBO title-holder Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden.

Presently rated No. 3 by the WBO and WBC, as well as No. 6 and No. 11 by the WBA and IBF, respectively, Duddy (23-0, 17 KOs) also is ranked No. 10 in The Ring magazine.

Duddy, who has fought 11 times in the Big Apple, including five in Madison Square Garden, is training in North Carolina with his head trainer, Don Turner. The unbeaten, charismatic Irishman is coming off of three consecutive fights in Ireland, including his most notable victory to date in December, winning a 10-round decision against former 2-time world title challenger Howard Eastman.

“It’s my homecoming,” an excited Duddy said from training camp about his NYC fight versus Smichet. “It was great fighting in Ireland the past year, but I’m really looking forward to being back where I started my pro career with all those great fans. There’s a lot of interest in my career back home now and a lot of people are flying in to watch this fight. Most importantly, though, I think I’ve shown improvement in my last three fights, although a lot was just simple things we worked on. Don has me boxing like I did before (as an amateur).

“After the Howard Eastman fight, I’m confident about getting in the ring with any middleweight in the world. It wasn’t perfect, but I showed I had a good chin – I always knew that – used my head more and never took a step backwards. I’m much more comfortable. It was a step closer to me getting to the top and I’m happy with my progress.”

Smichet, fighting out of Montreal, has a portfolio that features a win by 10th round knockout of previously unbeaten (17-0) Matt O’Brien for the Canadian Middleweight Interim Title, as well as an eight-round draw against Donny McCrary of The Contender III fame
.
Undefeated New York City middleweights “Mean” Joe Greene (17-0) and Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (15-0) are on the Klitschko-Ibragimov card. The main event is the only bout to air on HBO.

Tickets, priced at $1,000.00, $600.00, $300.00, $200.00 and $100.00, are on sale at the following locations: Manhattan: Demsey’s, 36th W. 33rd (212.629.9899); Queens: Elaine’s Deli, 65 Pl. Maspeth, Fiddlers Irish Pub, 65 Pl. Maspeth, Connelly’s Corner, Grand Ave. Maspeth, Hill Tap Bar, Grand Ave. Maspeth, Doyle’s Corner, Broadway Astoria; Woodside: Starting Gate, Sean Og’s, Saints & Sinners, Gaslight; Sunnyside: McGuinnesses, Maggie Mays; Yonkers: Bronx Heritage, McLean Ave. (914.766.7532); Brooklyn: Gleason’s Gym, 75 Front St. (718.797.2872); Pearl River: Gildea’s Bar & Restaurant (845.735.2564), South Bound Café (845.735.2903); Long Island: Poor House, Hemstead Turnpike (516.859.8780).

For more information go to http://www.irishropes.com/ or call Mark Cahoun (917.939.5199), Pat Nee (917.279.7796), Paul McLoughlin (347.219.1530), Jimmy Kaneary (718.594.0861), Paddy Phealon (516.859.8780) and Jerry Quinn (in Boston – 617.733.4535).

A toast to an Irishman

2008-02-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

Eddie Treacy lived in the shadows and died in his bed, the covers pulled up, his lungs full of fluid.... to read of this Boston Globe story by Kevin Cullen click here

McBride Stopped in the Sixth by a Better Conditioned Golota

2007-10-08T11:43:00.000-04:00

Report and images by Neil McDaid

October 6, 2007 - Madison Square Garden, NY -- With the IBF North American Heavyweight Championship on the line, Ireland’s Kevin “The Clones Colossus” McBride, fighting out of Boston, would step into the ring against Poland’s Andrew “The Polish Powerhouse“ Golota, fighting out of the Windy City. This was to be an important fight for these two big heavyweights who have recently struggling to find their way. Coming off his memorable victory over “Iron” Mike Tyson in 2005, Kevin McBride has struggled to continue on the path to a meaningful world title fight; his last outing was a disappointing loss to Mike Mollo just a year ago for the vacant WBA heavyweight title in Chicago.
Down through the years Andrew Golota has had several shots at various world titles, but he has also struggled to rise to the occasion. Golota’s last big fight was a title fight with Lamon Brewster where he lost by TKO in the first round. On this night it would all come down to the survival of the fittest, unfortunately for Kevin it would all go wrong in the sixth round.
As he made his entrance McBride was jeered and booed by the large number of Polish fans that turned out to see their man Golota, who was once again on the sport’s greatest stage. McBride would be lead to the ring by a lone piper. Kevin seemed visibly taken aback by the reception from the crowd as he peered from under his robe. Boos turned to cheers as Golota entered into view. At the prefight weigh in McBride would tip the scales at 288lbs, some 37lbs heaver that his opponent. Kevin would hold a slight height, reach and age advantage over Golota, though.
From the opening bell of the first round it was an all out battle. McBride would lunge into action first almost taking out the referee as he charged towards Golota. Both fighters would feel each other out with the left jab, soon followed by some big overhead right hooks when the opportunity arose. Standing toe to toe in center ring McBride would connect to the head of Golota, a solid connection that seemed to rock the polish heavyweight as he moved away on his heels. Golota would get a chance to regain himself as the ref called a time out to replace Golota’s mouth piece. Two overhead rights from Kevin followed up by a swift undercut had Golota in a daze again. Pushing forward Kevin would get in yet another crushing left hook, but somehow Golota would hang on until the bell. It would prove to be McBride’s best round of the bout.
Both fighters would open the second again working the jab to the head, with very little directed to the body. Showing up for this important fight weighing in at 288lbs McBride was clearly out of shape, but surprisingly Kevin was showing some improved hand speed. Golota worked around McBride’s mass, obviously the fitter fighter.
McBride looked winded as the seconds ticked away in round two, his extra weigh showing as he lunged awkwardly forward in search of Golota. It was a rough and tumble affair through the third and fourth rounds with McBride often stepping back, dropping his guard down as he gasped for air.

An accidental clash of heads in the fifth could possibly have started to open a slight cut below the left eye of McBride. With a little over a minute left in the sixth both fighters would battle hard along the ropes. McBride would drive a hard left to the body of Golota but unfortunately McBride was unable to follow up. Golota would return with a lovely left hook of his own to the head of McBride, sending Kevin back onto the ropes. Kevin had nothing left, with blood streaming from McBride’s left eye referee Arthur Mercate had seen enough. Mercate’s reason for stopping the fight was that, “Kevin was winded. He took a lot of shots; he can fight on another day.”

With his legion of loyal fans decked out in the colors of their country the victory and the title would go to Golota by way of TKO bringing his record to 40-6-1, 33 Kos. “Kevin surprised me, he was faster than I thought he would be, and he didn’t get tired. I proved tonight that I can still fight with anyone,” said Golota after the fight.
With the current state of the heavyweight title belts the dream is not dead for McBride, but in saying that he will need to get with the program, as the hill has just become steeper. Kevin will need to greatly improve his fitness level. Had McBride come into this fight in the same condition as when he took Mike Tyson to the mat, I would have to think that he could have finished Golota in the first or second round.

Images and report ©Neil McDaid

BOXING: Big Kevin McBride looks to floor Andrew Golota in NY Saturday, Also there is a last minute change of plans for John Duddy

2007-10-03T23:05:00.000-04:00

Kevin McBride will be looking to make his mark at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night as he looks to get his World Championship hopes back on track. He will face off against Andrew Golota.

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World title fight looks to be closer than expected for Duddy.

John Duddy has been hit with a late change of opponent for his headline bout on the next Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the National Stadium on October 20th.

The New York based Derryman had been set to meet Pablo Navascues but the Spaniard has been forced to withdraw courtesy of an ongoing ankle injury which had seriously disrupted his preparations for the bout.

Stepping in to fill the void is Uruguay’s Noe Tulio Gonzalez Alcoba.

The South American is fresh from a battling bid for Felix Sturm’s WBA middleweight title in Germany this summer and believes he can work his way to a second world title shot with a win over Duddy.

Duddy of course has world title ambitions of his own and with talk of a challenge to the new middleweight kingpin Kelly Pavlik early next year Gonzalez could prove a deadly obstacle.

The sole defeat of Gonzalez 15 fight career came at the hands of Sturm in June but the 28-year-old’s points defeat in Stuttgart suggested that he is capable of mixing it with the very nest in the middleweight division.

“This is a dangerous fight for John,” said promoter Brian Peters. “With Kelly Pavlik’s impressive win over Jermain Taylor last weekend the middleweight picture has really opened up and John is perfectly positioned to take advantage of that. He’s highly ranked with all the major sanctioning bodies and a very marketable challenger for any of the champions, including Pavlik.

“All of that will go out the window though if he can’t get past Gonzalez and he is a tough, hard man. He’s just coming off the back of that points defeat for the WBA title and he made Sturm work very hard to retain his title. One judge only had Sturm winning by a margin of 116 – 112 so I expect Gonzalez to really push John and there’s no doubt it’s a risky assignment given the kind of options on the table for John now.”

Gonzalez’s performance in defeat against Sturm is all the more notable given that the German is best known for his highly controversial points defeat to Oscar De La Hoya in 2004.

The Argentinean based fighter’s trip to Germany was his first time fighting abroad and he says the experience gained in Germany will make all the difference against Duddy.

“I learned a lot from my fight with Sturm and that defeat will make me a better fighter.

“I know that Duddy will be a very hard fight but my dream is to become world champion, for me and Uruguay. My life hasn’t been easy and I want to make it better. Beating Duddy will be the next step to another world title fight and realising my dream.”

Also featuring on the night of the Celtic Tigers at the National Stadium is Irish middleweight champion Matthew Macklin, undefeated light welterweight Paul McCloskey and unbeaten Lurgan prospect Stephen Haughian.

The full 9 fight card will be confirmed next week.

Tickets for the “Celtic Tigers” Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin on October 20th are priced from €50 and are available from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.

International Rally New York

2007-09-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

Burke takes rally Victory at International Rally New York
By Neil McDaid

Ellenville NY, September 7, 2007. It has been many years since Ulster County has heard the sound of race engines roar through the Catskill Mountains. The last official event was back in the seventies when racers attacked the historic Ellenville Hill Climb. International Rally New York (IRNY) would bring motorsports and rally fans back to Ellenville for round seven of the United States Rally Championship, which was run in conjunction with the Rally New York Championship.
The rally would be contested over two days, combining some fantastic tarmac stages on day one with some proven gravel tests on day two. For the defending USRC champion, Seamus Burke, it was an opportunity to avenge his disastrous showing in the Catskills earlier in the year. The headquarters for IRNY was located at Nevele Grande Resort just outside of Ellenville, a majestic property which is also making a comeback after some tough years.
Charlie Donnelly and co-driver Noel Gallagher would come into IRNY as the 2007 points leaders in the USRC and therefore would start number one on the road Friday. As the teams set out to tackle the 15 tarmac stages, Mitsubishis would make up the top five starting positions in the rally and were all piloted by Irish crews.
SS1, “Wintish 1,” a short 2.9 mile test would offer up a few hairy moments for those a bit rusty on their tarmac skills, none more so than Joseph Burke and co-driver Jeremy Wimpy. Joseph would roll his Acura in spectacular style about half way into SS1. Both driver and co-driver would walk away unharmed apart from a bit of bruised pride that is.

Joseph Burke, [left] would walk away unharmed from his big roll on SS1 [Piture: Neil McDaid]

Despite having some problems selecting forth gear Seamus Burke would set the fastest time on SS1 by some eight seconds over Charlie Donnelly. Enda McCormack charged to within one second off Donnelly’s time for third. Over SS2, Old “Greenfield 1,” Burke would again set fastest time, but the gap had narrowed as Charlie closed the stage time to three seconds. In one of his rare showings, New York publican Gerard Coffey took a break from pulling pints and set some very respectable times on the early tarmac stages in his Evo 8. He would set the fastest time over SS 3.

Enda McCormack had a great drive on day-one before gearbox problems arose. [Picture: Neil McDaid]

At the end of the first leg of the rally, which covered six stages, Seamus Burke had eked out a 32 second lead over an excellent drive from Gerard Coffey and Dave Dooley who moved up to second. Enda McCormack and Bernard Farrell held their starting position in third. Flying the flag for Poland, Maciej Przybysc and Constantine Mantopoulos in the Impreza held forth. Despite a big moment on SS5 Martin O’Flynn and Damien Treanor would round out the top five in their Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Trouble for the championship leader Donnelly as he rolled into the first major service of the day, almost a minute down to Burke. Charlie’s Mitsubishi was only running on three cylinders. Rally leader Burke was also having some mechanical issues; he had all but lost forth gear over the early stages.
On to leg two, SS7 “Tempaloni 1”. Those expecting to see Charlie Donnelly running first on the stage were somewhat surprised to see Burke running first. We would later learn that Donnelly returned to service with continuing problems.

A hairpin turn on SS7 would prove a little difficult for some. O’Flynn slid wide and leveled a section of stone/wood fence. Not to be outdone, Arkadiusz Gruszka would better the Irishman as he took out two sections. The rally would move from Ellenville to Monticello for the fast sweeping stage through the Concord Resort and Golf Course. It would be run four times to make up the final stages on day one. Despite missing forth gear Burke controlled all but one stage on the opening day to stay ahead of the pack. Despite a great effort on the tar Gerald Coffey would not enter the gravel section of the rally on day two.
The first of the gravel stages on day two, SS16 “Rogues Harbor 1,” would start just outside of Ellenville where the local residents turned out to get a stage-side seat for all the action. Running first on the road, Burke would roll to a stop at the spectator area suffering continued issues with gear selection. After a few frustrating moments, Seamus managed to get a gear and was off again. Maciej Przybysc would not get away as easily. Pushing hard through Burke’s dust trail, Maciej would lose control of his Impreza and collide hard into a tree ending his event. Charlie Donnelly would make a return on day two under the super rally rules but it was short lived. Donnelly would blow his engine on SS17.
With Burke still leading the charge, crews would make the long transit over to Narrowsburg for 8 stages, which were run utilizing two sections of forest roads. At the first short service on Saturday with Przybysc and Donnelly out, Enda McCormack was settling into second; Cyril Kearney held third. McCormack would begin to report gear selection problems on SS20 and things went quickly downhill from there. Coming into the only major service of the day, Enda had no clutch and could not engage 4th or 5th gears.

Finton Seeley and Carrie Wilburn were in the hunt until their retirement on day-two [photo: Neil McDaid]

Despite taking full advantage of McCormack’s problems and moving to second, things were not all rosy over in the Kearney service area. Cyril had clipped a rock and cracked the casing on his rear differential. Luckily he had a spare and his crew made the swap within the time limits. Leaving service for the final three stages of the rally, McCormack would have to get the car rolling using the starter. It was questionable if he could hold onto third or even finish the rally.
In the end McCormack would hold onto third despite a late objection from another competitor. A delighted Cyril Kearney would claim second some eleven minutes adrift of overall rally winners, the Donegal crew of Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries.
Rafal Liptopad whose VW Golf stalked the injured Mitsubishi of Enda McCormack through the final stages would claim top honors in two wheel drive.
Unofficially, this victory moves Burke ahead of Charlie Donnelly in the point’s race for the USRC. Enda McCormack sits third. With only one event left on the east coast, the Eastern States Rally Championship is wide open and will be decided at Black River Stages at the end of the month.
From there it will be onto Laughlin, Nevada for the final showdown in the desert to the decide the USRC title.

*Some video footage from the Rally can be found at

www.youtube.com/Abhusanseo

R.I.P Colin McRae 1968-2007

2007-09-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

www.colinmcrae.com

LAUGHLIN INTERNATIONAL RALLY & RALLYMOTO™ ENTRY NOW OPEN

2007-09-15T09:41:00.000-04:00

Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries are looking to make a return to Laughlin in hopes of claiming the USRC title.

[Picture Neil McDaid]

Video from Laughlin 2006 can be found here.

Laughlin, Nev- September 14, 2007 - American Rally Sport Group is pleased to announce the opening of competitor entry to the Laughlin International Rally and its cross-country motorcycle component, RallyMoto ™. Celebrating its tenth year, the Laughlin International Rally is headquartered in Laughlin, Nevada as part of the Laughlin Motorsports Festival on Veterans’ Day weekend, November 9-11.

From its inception in 1998 when competitors endured three days of blizzard conditions, the Laughlin International Rally has been recognized as one of America’s most challenging stage-rally events. The event remains America’s only FIA-listed International rally, sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) in association with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and NASA Rallysport. It is the concluding competition for the United States Rally Championship, and the regional Western States Rally Championship and the California Rally Series.

RallyMoto™ has attracted significant interest in the motorcycle community as unique point-to-point cross-country competition incorporating a stage-rally route book, and timing and scoring system. Following the Sandblast Rally in South Carolina, America’s first event, RallyMoto™ has been compared to “Rally Raid”, a competition considered by many to the toughest motorcycle sport in existence. RallyMoto™ enjoys its first western states’ debut in Laughlin.

Laughlin International Rally and RallyMoto competitors are encouraged to enter soon to take advantage of the special early entry pricing.

The Laughlin International Rally is headquartered at the Tropicana Express casino, formerly the Ramada Express in Laughlin. Additional in formation on the rally and RallyMoto™ is available at http://www.rallyusa.com/ .

International Rally New York

2007-09-10T00:08:00.000-04:00

Ellenville NY, Sep 8th 2007. Irish drivers take 1,2, and 3 @Rally New York, video report will be posted soon.