Endurance Trial Information, ALMC event regs and Introduction Night/Demo Selective

Endurance Trials are broken into 7 separate classes. The emphasis is to keep costs down for prospective competitors so you will see many competitors opt for cars such as the Toyota Starlet, Nissan Micra, Fiat Cinquecento, Fiat Seicento…..whatever can be bought, begged or borrowed from the small ads pages!

The maximum engine size is 1400cc however, there will be competitors with bigger engined cars (Vectras, MX5’s, 3 Series Compacts and Ford Escorts for example) – these cars are not permitted to be classified in the overall results but will compete for their own class and more importantly they will have a great day’s craic!

The classes are:

Class 1A: Cars built to Endurance Specification up to 1000cc
Class 1B: Cars built to Endurance Specification between 1001cc and 1400cc
Class 2: Navigation Trial cars up to 1400 c.c.
Class 3: Navigation Trial cars from 1401 to 2000 c.c.
Class 4: Front Wheel Drive Retro type cars.
Class 5: Rear Wheel Drive Retro type cars.
Class 6: All MX5 Cars

There are a few basic Safety Modifications required to each competing car. The below is a basic list. Please see Appendix 35 of the MI Yearbook for more information.

A reflective red warning triangle, first aid kit, tow rope and SOS/OK board must be carrried
Hi-Vis jackets for both crew members must be carried.
Full safety harnesses are mandatory for all competing cars. These can be of four point ‘Clubman’ type or the quick release ‘Aircraft’ harnesses.
Front windscreen of laminated glass.
Mud-flaps for all four wheels.

You will need a Motorsport Ireland Road National B licence (for Drivers) and a Rally Navigator licence (for Navigators). The form can be downloaded HERE

The Driver will need to have a valid Road Licence as you will have to travel on the public road (while obeying the rules of the road!) to get between the competitive selectives. Note-all drivers must be IRDS/BRDS registered or no start – no exceptions to this rule.

Drivers will need to be on the Irish/British Rally Drivers Scheme (IRDS/BRDS) database. This is to ensure that you have third party road insurance cover for the non-competitive elements of the event.

You should familiarise youself with the rules of Endurance Trials which are in Appendix 35 of the Motorsport Ireland Yearbook (available on http://www.motorsportireland.com) or by clicking HERE

You need to submit an entry for the event. Entry forms are on the ALMC Website and cost €199. Entries are flowing in already so don’t delay!! The max number of starters is strictly limited to 60 crews. Regs are available HERE

If you are interested in finding out more about Endurance Trials and have not competed before, an Introduction to Endurance Trials evening takes place on the 17th January, which will have the following format-

Convene in Luttrellstown Golf Club at 8:00 on 17/01/18.
Powerpoint presentation on Endurance Trials – everything from driving, navigation, car preparation and even marshalling (for those who want to get involved but don’t want to compete just now).
Hand-out of typical Navigation Road Book (we will need to know how many sheets to prepare, so get your order in if you are a budding navigator)
Anyone wanting to drive a section (approximately 3 – 4 km) of a typical selective can either (slowly!) take their own car or go around the selective a convoy in an Endurance car driven by an experienced competitor. A limited number of Endurance spec cars will be on hand, so anyone wanting a seat will have to let me know asap. This is not an opportunity to practice – speeds will be controlled by the organisers.
When the convoy returns to the clubhouse, there will be an informal session, where individuals can corner experienced competitors, be they drivers or navigators, and pick their brains (!).

From the ALMC Endurance Newsletter:

“By kind permission of Luttrellstown Hotel and Golf Club, ALMC will host an ‘Introduction to Endurance Trials’ on Wednesday 17th January, starting at 8 p.m. The evening will consist of a number of talks by experienced drivers, navigators and car preparation experts. For those who want to experience a selective, there will be the opportunity to drive 3.0 KM of one of the Luttrellstown selectives, at speeds controlled by ALMC members. (Unless the roads are damaged by heavy rain between now and then, they should be passable in a road car without a sump-guard). People can then return to the clubjouse for a question & answer session. Please note – this is intended for newcomers, so any old hands hoping for a sneaky practice will be disappointed – they won’t be allowed out and anyway, it will be in the ‘wrong’ direction!

As this is a first, ALMC have no idea of how many will attend, so must have notice of those who intend to participate, as the hotel will need to know numbers for catering. There is no charge for attending. Please, please let as many of your fellow petrol heads know of this unprecedented opportunity. We particularly want complete beginners to attend and the evening is directed at them, although all are welcome, especially those competitors from special stage rallying who want affordable fun.”
Anyone who would like to attend can let Frank O’Donoghue know by email to naps@indigo.ie

Ron and Marty from Micksgarage.com bought a Starlet for €500 and did this event last year- here is how they got on:

Header Image- John Delaney