“All That’s Missing Is the Darkness” A newbie’s eye-opening Sunday on the Endurance Trail

All That’s Missing Is the Darkness: A newbie’s eye-opening Sunday on the Endurance Trail

Photos by Eoin Stapleton

If you weren’t in the rich, rolling farmlands straddling the Cork and Kerry border last Sunday, you missed something special. You missed motorsport stripped back to its purest, most colourful essence.

The sun cracked the flags for the best day of the summer so far as the Cork Motor Club ran its latest Endurance Trial. Under the calm guidance of first-time Clerk of the Course Kiera Roberts, who was expertly chauffeured in the course car by West Cork Rally supremo Steve Davis, the event felt like the ultimate bridge between entry-level motorsport and full-blown stage rallying.

In the Heart of Coleman Country

The rally was based out of Cullen, twisting and turning near Millstreet. This is sacred rallying ground. In fact, two of the day’s “selectives” were held on the famous Millstreet Maestro Billy Coleman’s seed farms. The legend himself was even spotted out having a look at proceedings, adding a touch of motorsport royalty to a brilliantly relaxed atmosphere.

For a self-confessed newbie, this being only my second ever look at an Endurance Trial, the discipline is a fascinating beast. As multiple Irish Navigation Champion Greg Shinnors who volunteering as a marshal on the day summed it up perfectly:

But what exactly is a selective? Don’t dare call them “stages” in front of the powers that be! Think of them as short, sharp timed tests, usually around 2km long, snaking through farm tracks, industrial yards, gravel patches, bits of tarmac, and even slippery grass fields.

“It’s a cross between a stage rally and a daytime navigation trial. All that’s missing is the darkness.”

Speed is controlled by clever stop-boxes, while secret code boards are scattered along the route. The crews must find them to prove they are on the right track, making accuracy just as vital as a fast right foot. Navigators are kept under serious pressure, juggling a road book to get to the start, and a map book to hunt down those elusive code boards. And a time card – test are timed to the second – and another book to record the codes – navs are busy!

With ten distinct locations visited twice, it was a proper day’s sport. The action kicked off at 10am, paused for a well-earned, chatty lunch halt at Hickey’s in Rathmore, and wrapped up by 5pm.

Cheap and Cheerful Motorsport

The entry list was a beautiful sight. Over 40 cars lined up, and nearly 20 of them hailed from the two Kerry clubs. This is accessible, cheerful motorsport at its absolute finest. The paddock was packed with affordable, standard front-wheel-drive machines, mostly Toyota Starlets and Suzuki Swifts, and the entry list was a family affair, teeming with father-and-son and father-and-daughter duos.

As a traditional stage rally co-driver, spending the day in the thick of the action was a massive eye-opener. I spent the day pickling Kiera’s brain with a million questions from the course car, but the sheer popularity and growth potential of this discipline is undeniable.

The Next Big Thing

Once upon a time in the late 1980s, Kerry was a hotbed for night navigation. In the 2000s, Autocross took over as the big club favourite. Now, Endurance Trials are primed to take the crown. With 20 cars already running in Kerry and more currently being built, the momentum is shifting fast.

If you feel like you missed out last weekend, you have plenty of chances to catch up. Killarney and District Motor Club are running a highly anticipated two-day event this July, and Kerry Motor Club is already hard at work organising their own for September.

It is challenging driving, intense navigation, and a brilliant community sport that won’t break the bank. Don’t make the mistake of missing the next one, get out there and see it for yourself.

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