CORK MOTOR CLUB
Over 30 years of motorsport
Owen Wins Mitsubishi Evo Challenge UK Junior Award 2009
Owen navigator for this season was Welsh man Dai Roberts. Dai also recieved3rd in his class and was awarded for being the top navigator in the under 25 category for 2009.
Owen is supported by – O’Flynn Construction, Nyhan Mitsubishi Motors Bandon, Hancook Tyres, O’Brien Crowley Walsh Printers and Murray Motorsport.
Owen would like to take this oppertunity to thank all involved and to thank everyone for there well wishes he has recieved this year.
Owen Murphy back in the frame for 2010
West Midlands Motorsport have acquired a Mitsubishi Evo 9 for Owen to use on next year's British Rally Championship and the 22 year old Ovens, Co. Cork driver will also tackle the Evo Challenge in the car.
Owen had some good steady finishes in this year's UK Evo Challenge but at the sharp end every second counts and he is hoping that this car should put him back on an equal footing with the competition.
The new car is a return to left hand drive for the young Cork Motor Club driver. "My last outing in a 'leftie' was when I had the Fiesta on the UK Fiesta Sporting Trophy Championship", Owen told www.corkmotorclub.com. He won the first round of that series.
Owen's first outing in the Ex Works car will be on the up coming Cork 20 International Rally which will take place on the weekend of October 3 and 4. On this event Owen will be co driven by former Tarmac Champion, and the vastly experienced, James O'Brien, a fellow Cork Motor Club member.
"I am hoping for a good run on the Cork 20. I have the car and also one of the best co drivers in Ireland, James O'Brien," Owen said. "Driving on the left does not bother me but on the tight stuff after being back on the right hand side for a while I must be that bit careful. I am really looking forward to the rally. I cannot wait".
Ups and downs for two CMC members on Whit weekend
Round five of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge on the Severn Valley National, witnessed the closest battle of the year so far, the hot, dry and dusty conditions in the mid-Wales forests provoking fierce competition. The final results saw Daniel Barry and co-driver Martin Brady claim their fourth victory of the season. They crossed the line just ten seconds ahead of Simon Hughes/Craig Parry, with Nik Elsmore/Craig Drew a slender 0.7 seconds behind in third. Owen Murphy and his Welsh co-driver Dai Roberts finished fourth and seventh overall.
Starting and finishing at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, for the first two stages the leaders were being challenged by Owen and Dai, who had finally got to the bottom of their car’s previous electrical problems. Things were looking up for a top finish until they found that the turbo was not providing enough boost and Owen became frustrated not to be mixing it with the leading pair.
Adding to their problems was a missed note at the end of SS3 when the car slid wide, clouted a bank and seriously damaged the rear off-side suspension. Although managing to limp back to the service halt, the prospect of taking a first win was now very much in question.
After a lot of work at Service, Owen’s car now had all it’s wheels pointing in the same direction, but to his dismay, it was still down on power and he looked unlikely to make any impression on the leaders.
Owen and Dai did the best they could in the afternoon and were relieved make it to the finish. However, there was some consolidation for the Irish/Welsh pair as they were received the Sunoco Spirit Award for their efforts.
Meanwhile, back home in Adare, the Group N win for Anthony O'Connell came on the final loop of stages. Kevin Kelleher lost the category lead when his Lancer was marooned between stages 7 and 8 with no gears. This should have left Garry Jennings in front but his Mitsubishi also had gear selection troubles and he dropped 2 minutes. Eamonn Daly and Anthony O'Connell were always poised behind Kelleher and Jennings and this brought the Limerick/Cork pair up to third overall and also the Group N victory. And for Eamonn a dream result on his home rally.
A win is main aim for Owen this weekend
Owen Murphy and his Welsh co-driver Dai Roberts return to the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge field this Saturday (May 30), when they contest round five of the series, the Severn Valley National Rally
This weekend's rally is the first of two visits to the Welsh forests for the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge. The event sees five crews compete in what has the potential of being the closest battle of the season so far.
After four rounds of the challenge Owen is in fourth place on 21 points. After winning three of the previous rounds, Championship leaders Daniel Barry and co-driver Martin Brady are favourites, but they cannot take their current winning form for granted.
Having had to miss the Manx rally due to a recurring electrical problem, Owen is keen to show that he can mix it at the front of the field, and his stage times show that, when things go well, he has the pace for outright victory.
After a 5th place on the opening round followed by 3rd on round 2 and 4th on round 3, Owen will be eager to show his speed and talent this weekend
Owen takes 4th, Anthony is 5th
Congratulations Cork Motor Club member Owen Murphy on his performance on the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria on Saturday (April 18).
Owen finished 4th in the UK Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge section, and an excellent 7th overall on the event. "It was a frustrating event with an engine misfire causing us to loose quiet a bit of time on the stages.When the car was going well it was ok but the misfire and cutting out was costing us chunks of time.It was a small problem really a cracked wire causing all the trouble but with minimal service time there was nothing we could do to sort the problem," Owen said. The team now has 3 finishes from 3 starts in the series and lie 3rd overall. It's now on to the tarmac of the Isle of Mann in May for the Manx National. Owen is supported by O'Flynn Construction, Nyhan Mistubishi Motors Bandon, Walsh Printers Clonakilty, O'Brien Crowley Accountants.
Championship positions after round three Drivers: 1 Daniel Barry 34, 2, Simon Hughes 32, 3= Owen Murphy and Nik Elsmore 21
Congratulations also to Anthony O’Conaill who was navigating for Jonathan Greer. They were happy enough with their progress on the the Pirelli International Rally on Friday and Saturday, although slightly disappointed that they were pipped for fourth place by Fisher.
Unfortunately, the pair might struggle to make the next round though, as the team has several cars hired out overseas and may be short of manpower. 
CMC's Owen Murphy on his way to 7th overall on the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria (Pic Ger Leahy)
Murphy looking for first win
Owen has been getting quicker by the mile and is seeded at number four with Dai Roberts navigating. Currently third in the championship, they are a crew who are in contention for the top-spot and are destined to be challenging for the lead this weekend.
After a though day on the opening round of the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge, Owen finished the final stages of February’s Bournemouth-based Rallye Sunseeker to snatch 5th place and a steady start to his championship aspirations. On round two, the Border Counties Brick and Steel Rally he took third overall in the Evo Challenge and eight overall in the National A Rally despite numerous problems.
Top-seeds on Saturday in the Evo Challenge line-up are twice-winners this season, Daniel Barry and co-driver Martin Brady. Next will be Simon Hughes/Craig Parry, eager to record their first Evo Challenge victory in order to keep their title hopes on track. Following the tragic death of their Chief Engineer Rex Paddock in a Microlite crash last week, Nik Elsmore/Craig Drew will start in sombre mood, but are determined to do their best in honour of their much respected team member.
Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge entries (in start number order): 304 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry) Martin Brady (Navan); 305 Simon Hughes (Abergle) Craig Parry (Llanymynech); 307 Nik Elsmore (Coleford) Craig Drew (Bream); 308 Owen Murphy (Cork) Dai Roberts (Carmarthen); 309 Alan Carmichael(Ballymena)/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena).
Championship positions after round two: 1 Daniel Barry 24; 2 Simon Hughes 20; 3 Owen Murphy 14.
Starting and finishing from Carlisle Racecourse, the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria features eight timed special stages and a competitive distance of just under 70 miles. As well as the third round of the Evolution Challenge, the event also hosts round three of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship. The event also includes an international section which features round two of the MSA British Rally Championship.
As it has done for many years, the championship will see competitors benefit from an extensive prize fund, with awards, tyres and vouchers presented on each round and at the end of the season. Organisers are delighted to confirm that the 2009 Champion Driver will receive a brand new Lancer Evolution X RS, presented by Mitsubishi Motors UK. There will then be an option to offset the value of the car towards a full season in the 2010 British Rally Championship, driving a JR Motorsports prepared Group N Lancer Evolution X supported by MMUK.
The 2009 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Pirelli tyres, Sunoco fuels, JR Motorsports, Speedline Corse wheels, Carbone Lorraine brakes, Walkinshaw Performance, Sparco racewear and PIAA lights - who sponsor the junior award for under 25-year old drivers.
2009 Evo Calendar: 1 Feb 27-28 Sunseeker; 2 March 21 Border Counties; 3 April 18 Pirelli Tour of Cumbria; 4 May 8-9 Manx National Rally; 5 May 30 Severn Valley; 6 July 18 Swansea Bay Rally; 7 August 21-22 Ulster Rally; 8 September 26 Rally Yorkshire.
