2009: The Year of Clingfilm
Athlone: it’s a wrap
In some previous years the 4x4 Challenge for Charity has started amidst stunning scenery. In 2006 we gathered at the Ailwee Cave in the Burren, with the Atlantic as backdrop to our team photo. But the 2009 event opened on a drab day in a retail park in Athlone, with 40 vehicles and a kilometre of clingfilm to inhibit any action.
Defender 90 and 110, pick up, hard top, station wagon or double cab, Discovery saloon or commercial (1, 2 and 3) pumped up or original, G-wagen, L200 or Land Cruiser, gleaming glamour wagons and scruffy ould sheds: no matter the pedigree nor the condition, loads of them had been indiscriminately covered in clingfilm, either individually wrapped or in packets of three.
“Something for the weekend, sir?”
“You bet.”
Regulars are used to unwanted cable ties on the propshaft but this joker thinks outside the transfer box. The Clingfilm Kid had Athlone all wrapped up.
Good-humoured teams peeled their vehicles, only to find counterfeit parking tickets had been issued and non-standard event decals applied. As the unwrapped trucks massed for the team photo, drivers stickered up their vehicles, navigators greeted old hands and welcomed newbies before collecting the event’s road books and Discovery maps supplied by Ordnance Survey Ireland, the event’s sponsor.
Angi McNulty, Special Events Manger at Temple Street had joined Liam Smyth as navigator this year. Liam has never held back from acting the eejit in a good cause, appearing with a former team-mate as the Blues Brothers or the Jeep Doctors. This year in homage to his hometown, Liam’s appearing as Crocodile Downpatrick with Angi, his co-starring adventuress, reprising Linda Kozlowski’s role as glamourous sidekick.
Shane Foran of Team Pirate went for it in swashbuckling Johnny Depp mode, looking exactly like a pirate of the Caribbean. Other characters included The Stig and The Stag and marshalls, Podge and Rodge, who were thankfully, a tad more polite than their namesakes.
ACT Training organisers, Robert Archibald and Jonathan Crozier, briefed the 32 teams, who were backed up by eight support vehicles, a mixture of hard-working, straight-talking marshalls and flakey creatives in the media crew. Here’s the PR version: “The atmosphere and excitement is always brilliant,” said Jonathan. “Robert and I have worked on the route for weeks and we just know they’re about to have great craic. They haven’t a clue where they’re going and they can’t wait to get out there.”
Victims of previous 4x4 Challenges know the truth. This pair are the utmost devious, conniving, scheming and dastardly plotters you could hope to meet. These smiling men with good reputations and matching moustaches take pride in messing with the minds of navigators and sending drivers to distraction. And it’s all done under the guise of charitable works, so they’re unimpeachable.
Robert told us all that in taking part, we’re representing Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. The Challenge has raised over €100,000 for our charity in the past four years. “If people ask what you’re up to, tell them about the event, mention Temple Street and they’ll be supportive,” he adds. Later, we’ll hear his words ring true.
Freelander friendly? Honest!
Before 10am, we found ourselves in a disused quarry, a short hop from Athlone. It was rumoured that the organisers’ strategy for this year was to keep the transits short between sections, giving teams more offroad and less tarmac. Entrants had been warned to expect a build-up at the quarry as the course had to be driven sequentially. Several contours are not as meek as they look and it’s not practical to have 32 trucks on the loose simultaneously. At least they managed the first navigational challenge and nobody actually got lost in the ten minutes en route from Athlone.
The fun started fast in this allegedly Freelander friendly quarry. The first casualty was the Toyota Land Cruiser, which bellied out and was quickly winched off a sharp ridge by marshall Robbie Lawson in his much-admired and totally tricked-up 110 TD5 double cab. Faster than the green oval fraternity could break into a smirk, the ridge soon captured a couple of 110s. Team Pirate, Shane Foran and Denise Hannigan, got winched out from the front, while Graham Wilson and Kevin Hindes had buried their own winch and had to be pulled out from behind.
This quarry showed that anything on mud-terrain tyres could acquit itself capably, when not being driven by a total eejit – you know who you are – and there’s more than one of you… ‘you tube’ means something different in Ireland and it applies neatly here.
It poured as more vehicles lumbered around the course. Matt McGrath had recently completed the work to lift his Discovery, removing its bumpers and adding 35-inch tyres. Matt and navman, Tom Parsons, could hardly wipe the smiles off their faces as the Disco took the route with relaxed agility. It looked so pumped up on steroids that the marshalls thought of ordering a dope test.
John McDevitt was performing similar feats with more noise in his zebra-liveried Discovery. “Jaysus, he didn’t buy that thing,” said David Feely (the younger). “I’m sure it’s haunted.” Whatever spirit propels his Disco, John seemed happy enough with its behaviour.
Blue sky opened up just as event photographer, David Tothill, framed a shot of Jason Higgins’ 90 pick-up making a stately progression down an incline. Marshalls worked hard to get more vehicles out into the quarry but there was still a queue. They waited patiently without complaint, spectators, just for a while but relishing the action that was to come.
Caroline McGreal and navigator Joanne Donoghue launched into the quarry in a Disco hardtop. Later, the first all-women team would acknowledge just how tricky it felt. “The first few hours when we got the maps, we were sad, mad, excited and frustrated – it was day of highs and lows,” Joanne said. “We didn’t want to make complete eejits of ourselves and have to get rescued,’ added Caroline. “Our team motto is ‘we’re feeling it’ – feeling we’re on the right road!”
Mad Max gets the money shot
Later that morning we found ourselves deep in a forest near Lanesborough, Co Roscommon. Rising steeply through the trees, we caught stunning narrow views through to distant hills. Tracks criss-cross the forest and some navs lost it here as teams started appearing from different directions, then coming back to retrace their route. “Why’s that 109 going down there?” asks event cameraman, Mark Vity. Father and son team and Challenge veterans, David Feely and David Feely, headed off in the opposite direction from Mark, David and Siobhán, the waiting media crew.
Later we caught the Feely 109, Mad Max, ploughing through water on a bog-track, after a shower. The Snapper knew it was a gift and in perfect light he got the shot, which would feature prominently in the December 2009 edition of Land Rover Owner mag. It’s photogenic, that 109 and not the first time it’s popped up in print – the Landy mags do love a Series.
North of Boyle we headed up to Lough Arrow where Terry and Mary’s immaculate campsite welcomed 40 now filthy trucks. We pitched our tents, cooked meals on assorted bits of equipment from hi-tech to no-tech, and the teams were ready for the night navigation.
It’s always tough to call who’s going well and the marshalls are as tight as clams when it comes to an opinion – other than expert analysis such as, “Youse’re all a bunch of eejits.” We guess that the Dooners – a tough pair of competitors – won’t lie down. And Mike and Pamela McGrath in Team G-Wagen are making it look easy. Colman Howard and Michael O’Donovan are taking it in their stride, as are Shane Foran and Denise Hannigan, despite their earlier antics at the quarry. Still, we all know better than to run a book on it.
Night nav: bad weather and a good feed
Robert and Jonathan knew that this was a tough one on tight tracks with plenty of potential to scratch shiny trucks. There were no open vantage points, so the media crews couldn’t get in to photograph the teams without obstructing their way through the narrow lanes. We agreed to rely on video clips from Mick Comerford and Fiona Cormican, aka Rock Boy and Rock Chick. On their third 4x4 Challenge, they were driving a Disco TD5 on its first outing, after their beloved Animal had departed for L200 Heaven some months previously.
Rob and Jonathan made sure that everyone had understood the risk to their paintwork, so that teams could choose to sit out the night nav section but Mark Dunne wasn’t missing this for the sake of his Discovery 3’s bodywork. He found that the phantom joker had been at work again, weaving a chain through a front wheel and locking it firmly. “I had to take a hammer and chisel to it to get the feckin’ thing off before we could move. But I knew eventually they’d give me the key,” said Mark. And they did. “It was cut into three pieces.”
“By the time we got to the night navigation, we were in agony,” said Laoise Dooner. “Ger was driving but also using a torch hanging outside to scan for marker boards.” “I can’t stand her using the head torch – every time she looks at me, I’m blinded with it,’ Ger adds. “My loving husband – he’s as much of a challenge as the Challenge itself,” she quipped.
Nearing midnight, trucks began rolling back to camp in the pouring rain. “It’s one of the toughest we’ve set,” Robert said, “But they got it right and they did it quickly.”
Throughout the day marshalls Kevin and Maggie Stone had been supporting teams in their Freelander 2. Despite the rain, they’d set up four barbecues at the campsite and were grilling 120 venison steaks, a fantastic treat for everybody. While we salivated in anticipation of the Bambi steaks, Maggie handed round steaming bowls of venison stew. We crowded into the campsite shed, wet, freezing but enjoying the craic, convinced we’d died and gone to offroad heaven. There was proof: the rain stopped before we hit the tents and the morning came fast.
Drumkeeran: sponsored pee and running repair
With the sun blazing on Kilronan Mountain, Co Leitrim, the route ascended steeply to a wind farm. The vista is panoramic but the ditches are vicious. On the summit, turbines hum as a group of vehicles on the mountainside halted abruptly in a haze of vapour. Jason Higgins’ pick up was in trouble but Mark Dunne promptly hooked him up to his Discovery 3 and a brisk ascent followed. “I’ve never seen a 90 pick up go water-skiing before,” said marshall Stephen Jerrard.
Descending from the mountain, we invaded the village of Drumkeeran, Co Leitrim, where there was a checkpoint. The locals are fascinated as the whole place is taken over by mucky trucks and in the pub, they press sponsorship money on Caroline McGreal and Joanne Donoghue, “The first sponsored loo-stop,” the women claimed. We remembered what Rob had told us about people being supportive when we mention Temple Street and it’s true. Throughout the weekend people only have to be told, before they’re pressing euros into our hands. A local publican wished he’d known we were coming: he tells Jonathan that he’d have laid on sandwiches – JC makes a mental note for any future Challenge visit. Everybody has a Temple Street story and the goodwill is fantastic.
The 4x4 Challenge tends to engage family members as organisers and entrants – the offroad bug is infectious. This year we had father and son team, Declan and Jamie McCormack, cousins Mark Dunne and Brian Kenny, brothers Damien and John Conway and David and Andrew Diamond, not to mention several husband/wife/partner entrants. Graeme and Zara Archibald were the first brother-sister team, with brother Timmy and Wayne Shackleton marshalling in Graeme’s Disco. Zara’s very tidy 90 hardtop had been expertly prepared by Graeme, while she worked on the sponsorship. He navigated for his older sister, “I only shouted at her once,” he insisted.
Liam O’Sullivan and Stephen Pratt were among six members of the Rathcormac Gun Club, up from north Cork. Liam took part in two previous Challenges with Colman Howard. This year he’s driving his Discovery 200tdi and calls Colman on the CB, “Drive it for five minutes, will you – something’s not right.”
“He’s not very technical,” explained Colman. “The propshaft was hanging off.”
Outside Wynn’s pub and petrol station, Colman and Barry O’Connell donned overalls and took off the front propshaft, taping the retaining bolts in place. “We couldn’t remove them because of the damage,” said Colman. “We got the propshaft off with a hammer and chisel. This cracked the housing of the transfer box, which had lost all its oil.” Barry and Colman resorted to more tape. “We had fun and games getting oil into the transfer box,” adds Barry.
“We had no lunch, we worked out in the street in front of a pub on a Sunday afternoon – and we’d no drink!” But they worked through until they’d got the repair licked. “In two hours we had Liam’s truck up and running,” said Barry. “He continued on with the diff engaged, running in two-wheel drive. Once we’d fixed it, he was gone – up that mountain like a bullet.”
Somewhere along the route Teams 12 and 17 were out there doing a spot of stunt driving. The Feely 109, along with Graham Wilson and Kevin Hindes in the 110 hardtop, must have been enjoying the scenery. Apparently swept away by beauty, they thought they could drive on two wheels and both ended up in the ditch. Typically, there was no shortage of teams that stopped to help them out, with fellow entrants rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. Ger Dooner put his winch to work, while Laoise thought it was far better craic to take photos, recording the event for posterity.
On a tiny tarmac road, we climbed to open country on grouse moors above Bencroy, too big a vista for even the widest lens. Teams drove through in clusters and over the crest, we met Robert and a team of marshalls at the last checkpoint with another enormous view unfolding. We completed the last section on tracks and narrow green lanes, a gentle end to another brilliant event.
Dirty trucks – and dirtier tricks
We headed to the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, County Cavan, a major sponsor since 2005. We were welcomed once again and our privations ended with great rooms in the luxury hotel, all included in the €200 entry fee.
After a few blips with the technology, we got to see David’s movie of the 2008 event, along with an unedited selection of his shots from this weekend. Then Robert kicked off Ireland’s 4x4 Oscars by thanking the sponsors: Ordnance Survey Ireland, Cavan Crystal and the Slieve Russell, not to mention the many businesses and individuals who pledge sponsorship to all the teams. He also thanked the teams who support the event by working in the background: the marshalls, the media crew and Shane Foran for all his work on the website throughout the year. Then Robert thanked Margaret and Geraldine who run the administration, ‘organising the organisers,’ and who take on the crucial task of debt collection. They’re such charming women but those who are late in paying up what they’ve committed to the charity may well have another story to tell!
Rob gave us a bit of history, as he’s often asked how the 4x4 Challenge for Charity came about. “Jonathan and I had been over to England to do an event,” he said. Returning on the ferry they chatted over what they’d done, concluding that they could achieve something just as good and probably better in Ireland. “By the time we got to Dublin Port, we had the whole event worked out, except the charity that would benefit.” Rob then spotted a major feature in the Irish Farmers’ Journal on the work of Temple Street Children’s Hospital and its constant need for fund-raising. “It looks like we have our charity,” he told Jonathan.
They introduced Angi McNulty from Temple Street, who told the crowd that they’d performed lots of miracles. “It’s fantastic to love what you do, the vehicles you drive and you’re passionate about the views of the countryside – you couldn’t buy what we saw today,” she added. “You’re part of the miracles that happen.” To demonstrate what she meant, Angi showed a film about the work that Temple Street achieves, with support from charitable events like ours. It featured interviews with staff, families and the children who are cared for by the Hospital and reminded us where all that hard-won sponsorship cash ends up.
Jonathan urged people to take up Angi’s invitation to visit Temple Street, as a group had done last December. Raising €25000 in the current tough climate was a Trojan effort this year, he said, thanking various characters – Crocodile Downpatrick, The Stig and The Stag and in particular, the Rathcormac Gun Club, the Cork team. “There are more of you this year and it’s a long way up here for you,” he added.
He thanked all the marshalls, who keep Rob and himself informed throughout, ensuring the smooth running of the Challenge. “Podge and Rodge (aka Timmy and Wayne) would have used blue lights if they’d had them, running between sections to help people out,” he said. “We had a Land Cruiser with an orange surf board on top, a 90 pick-up taken water-skiing by a Disco 3 and the first all-women team even tried to run over the other organiser. The hazards didn’t end there. Chasing the paperwork for one team, brought the driver flying down into reception asking, “How dare you wake me to find out whether I came 28th or 29th?!!” Slieve Russell staff would neither confirm nor deny a rumour that Rock Boy and Rock Chick had then proceeded to smash up their hotel room. “The confidentiality of our celebrity guests is of paramount importance to us,” said a hotel spokesperson.
It’s clear that 2009 has been one of the best events with loads of new faces but no problems at all,” Jonathan continued. “It’s been brilliant. We’ve really enjoyed working with you guys, seeing your smiling faces, constantly asking us, what’s the answer to number 3?”
Angi presented winners of the various categories with their prizes – the Irish 4x4 Oscars. The 2009 overall winners have battled for three years, taking second place last year - finally though, it really was Ger and Laoise Dooner’s day. Colman Howard and Michael O’Donovan took second place this time. The Feelys won the Sophie Trophy, the Highest Sponsorship Award, having raised €2700.
Liam Smyth aka Crocodile Downpatrick and Angi McNulty were announced as winners of the Ordnance Survey sponsored-night nav – Angi let out a yell of delight when she realised that Liam and herself were being presented with their Cavan Crystal trophies. At least, we think they did the night nav but the media team were not the only ones who had seen a large stuffed leopard driving that Disco on different sections, so maybe it should have got a trophy. Those cats see well in the dark. Mark Dunne and Brian Kenny were awarded Spirit of the Event, having triumphed for being all-round good guys, despite some rumour of fingerprints on clingfilm.
Jonathan then got all the participants to stand then told this year’s newbies to sit down. Next he invited those who competed for the first time in 2008 to sit. The group reduced further with each year’s entrants remaining, until he asks anyone in the room who competed in the first and all subsequent 4x4 Challenges to remain standing and suddenly, there’s only one left. David Feely Jnr is looking around the room but hasn’t quite sussed that he’s the sole entrant to have taken part in every Challenge for the past five years.
David was presented with the first ever Commitment Award, featuring David Tothill’s shot of Mad Max in water at our favourite Donegal quarry, a Feely family favourite which had illustrated LRO’s report of the 2006 4x4 Challenge.
Going, going….. we’re all gone!
With wide grins, trophies grasped and backs firmly slapped, the crowd settled down to enjoy some on the spot fund-raising at the expert hands of auctioneer, Stephen Jerrard. In this case, we were victims of our own success. Such a pile of great gear had been donated by sponsors, entrants and supporters that even Stephen would almost run out of wit and repartee! It took us a fair while to work through the array of goods, services and hedonistic treats that had been donated but we kept bidding and got there in the end. The organisers are working on a new system to speed up next year’s end-of-event auction.
Despite having raised more sponsorship than anyone else, David Feely Snr cheerfully paid €80 to get Mad Max’s steering wheel back, against strong bidding by Simon Collins. The auctioneer warned Simon that his next lot would be the gear selector from a big orange 110. Sure enough, Simon placed the winning bid for his essential part, only to be handed a bag of fresh air by the cunning Mr Jerrard… All’s fair when it’s for Temple Street – and priceless, as the rest of us were creased up.
Miraculously, the event managed to raise around €25,000, an unbelievable achievement in this tough economy.
Monday morning: additional material from our crime reporters
Jonathan met Barry O’Connell in the sumptuous hotel lobby. The devious one is looking for feedback; it gets taken on board to shape and improve future Challenges. “So, you lads enjoyed it but would you do it again?” he asked. Barry’s replied in a flash, “Are you doing another one next weekend?”
As teams prepared to depart, reports of several crime scenes filtered in from the car park. A number of vehicles have had grease applied to the door handles.
A phantom prankster gained entry to a locked vehicle, the 110 owned by Simon Collins. The individual proceeded to disconnect the battery, then used ratchet straps to tie the two front doors together from the inside. The perpetrator made good their escape by a rear door, which he or she was somehow able to lock behind them. Grease was placed on the door handles; cable ties were affixed to prop shafts.
The Feelys went to replace their steering wheel, only to find that Mad Max had been moved (without its steering wheel – some phantom this was – or maybe it’s Max who’s haunted…) and the wiper arms were cable tied together. A rag had been stuffed down the air intake and gear stick knobs were missing in addition to the steering wheel. A pound of raw sausages was stashed in various places throughout the vehicle – in the dash, under the seats and God knows where else, according to our source. The Feely family dog ate very well, as it was given a feast when the two Davids arrived home.
All done for another year but the consensus was clear, 2009 was the very best of the best event in Ireland’s 4x4 calendar. If you’ve been challenged for charity before but couldn’t make it this time, we hope you’ll be able to join us in 2010. And if you haven’t, then get your entry form in and don’t miss out on the warmest of welcomes and the best of craic, all in a really great cause.
Results of the 2009 4x4 Challenge for Charity:
Overall winners Ger Dooner and Laoise Dooner
Second place Colman Howard and Michael O’Donovan
Winner Day 1 Michael McGrath and Pamela McGrath
Day 1 second Zara Archibald and Graeme Archibald
Night navigation Liam Smyth and Angela McNulty
Night navigation second John McDevitt and Niall Hurley
Winner Day 2 Shane Foran and Denise Hannigan
Day 2 second Liam O’Sullivan and Stephen Pratt
Spirit of the Event Mark Dunne and Brian Kenny
Highest Sponsorship David Feely and David Feely
Commitment Award David Feely Jnr