Milligan makes it 40 not out at Kirkistown

OMAGH’S Gary Milligan marked a very special anniversary at Kirkistown on Saturday during the latest round of the Northern Ireland Sprint Championship.

His latest outing behind the wheel of his trusty Mini took place 39 years and 364 days since he made his debut at the same track and in the same championship and in a similar car.

Unfortunately, his 40th anniversary celebrations didn’t quite go to plan as his current Mini, nicknamed ‘Triggers Broom’ because it has undergone so many modifications over its 36 year lifespan, developed a fuel problem.

That meant he had to enlist the services of his ‘arch foe’ in the fascinating world of the ‘Fastest Mini in the West’ battles, Irvinestown’s Gerry McGarrity, who kindly lent Milligan and helped him fit a new fuel pump so he could get one flying run in before the day ended.

And that run proved fruitful as it sealed third place in class 6A, relegating David Evans in his Peugeot 205 Gti into fourth to seal an all-Mini top three with Tullyhommon’s Karl Johnston the clear winner from Chris Nicholl in second.

And while pleased with how his special day ended, at one point Milligan wasn’t in such jubilant form.

“The 40 year thing was nearly to the day – today [Sunday] by date and yesterday by day – at the same place but not so happy a day! It didn’t turn out such a good anniversary. If yesterday had been 40 years ago I wouldn’t have bothered going back!,” he laughed.

“I had a fuel problem all day and I got one run out of five but thankfully I got the last run of the day in, much to big Davy Evans’ chagrin because he had put the car in the trailer and I pipped him by .3 of a second for third in the class.”

Milligan’s Sprint adventure may have started 40 years ago and it did so by happenchance. He and another Omagh man, Godfrey Crawford started competing in the NI Autotest Championship’s beginners class in 1979, with the latter winning outright and Milligan, who describes himself as ‘always the bridesmaid’ third.

But it was through another competitor that he found a route into what became one of his motorsport passions, sprinting.

“I was doing Autotests and there was a guy called William Rutherford who was NI champion at the time and he had gone to sprint a mini and I didn’t realise you could do that so I thought I’d give it a go too.

“I didn’t think I’d still be doing it 40 years later though!”

Interestingly, Milligan finished 23rd overall and fourth in class that day at Kirkistown, while 40 years on, he was 38th overall, which according to Evans means ‘Gary has obviously got slower’.

And Gary isn’t the only Milligan who was in motorsport action at the weekend. His son, Robert, won his class and was ninth overall in the Kemble Targa Rally, held near Bath, in, yes you guessed it, a Mini with a new engine that was built by Mervyn Johnston, father of class 6A winner, Karl!

Meanwhile, other local competitors in action at Kirkistown on Saturday included Killyman’s Ken Colbert, who was 21st overall, one place in front of Omagh’s Dermot O’Hagan and Irvinestown’s Derek Robinson was 42nd overall.

In the class battles, Colbert got his hands on a class 6B title in the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus he shares with son, Steven, who missed out on this occasion as he was on work duty at the Pau GP in France.

O’Hagan was also a podium topper, winning class 10 in his Honda Civic from Alan Roddy and Andrew Strain and Robinson was third in class 11 in his Sunbeam, while McGarrity won class 16A and was 31st overall to finish second to Johnston in the ‘Fastest Mini in the West’ standings, with Milligan third in that particular battle.