KDMC Endurance Trial draws big Kerry entry and new faces
Killarney and District Motor Club hosted its second Endurance Trial of the year last weekend, based at the Old Killarney Inn and the Woodland Riding Centre.
The event was a round of the Škoda Parts Ireland National Endurance Championship 2025 and attracted over 40 crews, with a record turnout from Kerry.
Owen Murphy and Patrick O’Sullivan took the overall win in their Toyota Yaris. They topped the time sheets with a total penalty of 4:00.0.
Top KDMC crew on the day were Timmy Lynch and Peter Falvey, who finished seventh overall in their Toyota Starlet.
Better known for their autotesting success, they claimed the John Flynn Trophy for the highest-placed KDMC crew.
Kieran Martin and Frank Murphy who both usually work behind the scenes at KDMC events like the Rally of the Lakes switched to the driver’s seat in a Toyota Starlet and came home 15th overall and fourth in Class A2B.
Visiting Meath driver Glyn Gaffney and local co-driver Niall Myers finished 18th in their Toyota Starlet. It was Gaffney’s first endurance event in Kerry with Myers on roadbook and timecard duties, and they took second in Class A2M.
The father-and-son pairing of David and Shay Griffin from Keel finished their second event of this kind. They brought their Toyota Starlet home 23rd overall and fifth in Class A2B.
The Ladies Award went to Becky Hollinshead and Clare Brady who finished 25th in a Toyota Starlet, sixth in Class A2B.
The best mixed crew representing KDMC were John O’Sullivan and Noreen Stanley, who finished 28th overall and third in Class A1 in their Nissan Micra.
Former National Hillclimb champion Frank Byrnescompeted with his daughter Sophie Byrnes in a Toyota Yaris. They finished 29th overall and fourth in Class A1.
Several locals tackled their first-ever event, having never held a competition licence before. Mechanics from Kelliher’s Toyota, Jason O’Leary and Maurice O’Connor, finished 31st in a Subaru Impreza, taking fourth in Class C.
Conor Horgan and Aaron O’Halloran brought their Ford Fiesta home 37th overall, eleventh in Class A2B.
The Glover brothers, Brian and Kieran, made their motorsport debut and finished 39th overall in their Toyota Starlet, twelfth in Class A2B.
Among the all-ladies local entries, Rathmore’s Amy and Jodie Barton were 41st overall and fourteenth in Class A2B in their Toyota Starlet.
Mike O’Shea – known as the founder of Endurance Trials in Kerry – , and Jason Russell rounded off the local results in their Suzuki Swift. O’Shea,
The event ran with a mix of public road navigation and 23 timed tests on private ground and farm tracks.
Saturday’s route was in the Killorglin and Faha area, while on Sunday the crews visited locations near Firies, Currow and Ballyhar.
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