Irish Challenge Series 2007

Round 1, Murroe, Co. Limerick.
Tipperary Motor Club, 14th & 15th July 2007.

Report by Johnny Blackmore.

Scouts, Downs Syndrome and Competitors SCORE high!!!!!

And then God punished man by unleashing all the might of the heavens, he struck us down with lightening, flooded our lands with rain, set gales upon us and we were truly thunder struck.
We responded by putting the meat in the metal, dropping a cog and burning out some punches!!!!!!!!
The Irish Challenge, birth place of the impossible, home of the shed head, capital for the unhinged, proud sponsors of the deranged was ready to rumble.

What a full bore bang out mad weekend. It rained, it blew, it burned, it rocked solid for 48 hours of mud, madness and mayhem. If the course didn’t get you, the "head the ball" back at Thomond Scout Centre was either going to poison your food or poison you with drink. Even after that you had to reconstruct yourself on Sunday morning and head out to bust more gears grunting punches.

Saturday morning started at the Scout centre a good mile off site , which was a new way to do it ,gave us a chance to get an idea of numbers and numbers were impressive. The largest entry in the history of the competition turned up - the back bone support showed early the ball joints who over the years have been the life line of the event , Team Tomcat, Team Suzuki, Team Trev,the Kings of Laois , some HillBillies and Munster 4x4 , just to name a few.
This was going to be the best ever and we had good men with us. But sure as shaft shear, the bodies started to pile up and the pressure came on in the office and the Irish Challenge growled into life.

Going wasn’t great in the early part of the day but then it started raining and got progressively better!!! Showroom class was good on Saturday but by Sunday they were there in their numbers. Extremes were playing hard and throwing it up, mods were working hard and early reports called it 50/50. A combination of clustered punches and variations in gps signal quality levelled the odds, even so ten punches were scratched just because getting to them would slow the pace being flung down by the Land Rovers.

No scores we given on Saturday evening and most of the field returned to the Scout hall for Chef Thomas’s special of the day savage food and drink. Got the tents up and started burning meat, followed by drink and when the rain stopped, got the fire going and partied into the little small hours.
Breakfast was conducted with as little noise as possible and in fairness wasn’t that bad and yes we will get beans next year, Shomas thought it wouldn’t be safe to have them on the menu what with o ring and gasket issues.
All the new faces pulled had to help and gave it everything in the dirt bowl . It was a great feeling to have been able to feed em all and send em to war with full bellies and sore heads.

Sunday was the day of the Showroom class, and Brian Berkery’s special test proved popular will all who drove it getting the venom deeper into the vein, savage. Justin Walsh blazed a trail and beating this pro was going to be hard , back at the ranch Extremes was being bashed out and a good lunch time burst sealed the deal for Joe and Padraig .

All and all the weekend returned a lot of smiles ,new warriors have joined the ranks and the Irish Challenge has come of age as the place where all are welcome , all can be driven, and all can be given. Again we thank the ball joints who have always supported this event and we welcome the new ball joints to the bash.

Next round 1st & 2nd September 2007

RESULTS
MORE PICTURES
BACK

And then God punished man by unleashing all the might of the heavens, he struck us down with lightening, flooded our lands with rain, set gales upon us and we were truly thunder struck. We responded by putting the meat in the metal, dropping a cog and burning out some punches!!!!!!!! The Irish Challenge, birth place of the impossible, home of the shed head, capital for the unhinged, proud sponsors of the deranged was ready to rumble.
	What a full bore bang out mad weekend. It rained, it blew, it burned, it rocked solid for 48 hours of mud, madness and mayhem. If the course didn’t get you, the "head the ball" back at Thomond Scout Centre was either going to poison your food or poison you with drink. Even after that you had to reconstruct yourself on Sunday morning and head out to bust more gears grunting punches.
Saturday morning started at the Scout centre a good mile off site , which was a new way to do it ,gave us a chance to get an idea of numbers and numbers were impressive. The largest entry in the history of the competition turned up - the back bone support showed early the ball joints who over the years have been the life line of the event , Team Tomcat, Team Suzuki, Team Trev,the Kings of Laois , some HillBillies and Munster 4x4 , just to name a few. This was going to be the best ever and we had good men with us. But sure as shaft shear, the bodies started to pile up and the pressure came on in the office and the Irish Challenge growled into life.
	Going wasn’t great in the early part of the day but then it started raining and got progressively better!!! Showroom class was good on Saturday but by Sunday they were there in their numbers. Extremes were playing hard and throwing it up, mods were working hard and early reports called it 50/50. A combination of clustered punches and variations in gps signal quality levelled the odds, even so ten punches were scratched just because getting to them would slow the pace being flung down by the Land Rovers.
No scores we given on Saturday evening and most of the field returned to the Scout hall for Chef Thomas’s special of the day savage food and drink. Got the tents up and started burning meat, followed by drink and when the rain stopped, got the fire going and partied into the little small hours. Breakfast was conducted with as little noise as possible and in fairness wasn’t that bad and yes we will get beans next year, Shomas thought it wouldn’t be safe to have them on the menu what with o ring and gasket issues. All the new faces pulled had to help and gave it everything in the dirt bowl . It was a great feeling to have been able to feed em all and send em to war with full bellies and sore heads.
	Sunday was the day of the Showroom class, and Brian Berkery’s special test proved popular will all who drove it getting the venom deeper into the vein, savage. Justin Walsh blazed a trail and beating this pro was going to be hard , back at the ranch Extremes was being bashed out and a good lunch time burst sealed the deal for Joe and Padraig . All and all the weekend returned a lot of smiles ,new warriors have joined the ranks and the Irish Challenge has come of age as the place where all are welcome , all can be driven, and all can be given. Again we thank the ball joints who have always supported this event and we welcome the new ball joints to the bash.

Irish Challenge Series 2007

Round 1, Murroe, Co. Limerick. Tipperary Motor Club, 14th & 15th July 2007.

Scouts, Downs Syndrome and Competitors SCORE high!!!!!

Next round 1st & 2nd September 2007

RESULTS MORE PICTURES BACK

Round 1, Murroe, Co. Limerick.
Tipperary Motor Club, 14th & 15th July 2007.

RESULTS
MORE PICTURES
BACK