Date: 2025-12-27

Murray Masters TDC Safari Cup with Commanding Performance

Niall Murray claimed a decisive victory at the TDC Safari Cup Multi-Venue Autotest, demonstrating exceptional skill and consistency across all four tests to finish with a total time of 1311.2 seconds.

Murray established his dominance early, leading after the first test with a time of 313.7 seconds, and maintained his advantage throughout the event. John Nolan, also in a Toyota Starlet, provided the closest challenge, finishing just 7.4 seconds behind after a day of intense competition.

The battle for the podium was particularly fierce, with Brian Kingston in his Suzuki Ignis Sport completing the top three just one second behind Nolan with a time of 1319.6 seconds. Robert Robinson’s Toyota Yaris rounded out a tightly contested top four, finishing just 4.2 seconds off the podium.

The event featured three distinct classes, with Murray taking the FWD over 1400cc class win alongside his overall victory. In the FWD up to 1400cc category, James Driver emerged victorious in his Toyota Starlet with a time of 1330.6 seconds, which was also good enough for fifth overall. Dermot Hade pushed Driver throughout the day, finishing just 5.8 seconds behind in the same class.

The Sports Cars class provided perhaps the closest finish of the day, with Anthony Freeney’s Toyota MR2 edging out Piers Mac Fheorais, also in an MR2, by a mere 0.6 seconds after four tests. Freeney’s consistent performance secured him 13th overall with a time of 1363.7 seconds.

Toyota Starlets dominated the entry list with 15 examples competing across the classes, showcasing the model’s enduring popularity in autotesting. The MX5 contingent also showed strong representation with five entries, though they couldn’t match the pace of the leading MR2s in the Sports Cars class.

The event featured several close battles throughout the field, with many competitors separated by just seconds after a full day of competition. Philip O’Reilly and Eoin Murray finished just 0.2 seconds apart in seventh and eighth positions respectively, both driving Toyota Starlets.

The challenging course provided a stern test for all 35 competitors, with times spreading out as the day progressed, reflecting the technical demands of the multi-venue format.

Overall Results

Overall Position	Competitor Name	Car	Time
1	Niall Murray	Toyota Starlet	1311.2
2	John Nolan	Toyota Starlet	1318.6
3	Brian Kingston	Suzuki Ignis Sport	1319.6
4	Robert Robinson	Toyota Yaris	1323.8
5	James Driver	Toyota Starlet	1330.6
6	Dermot Hade	Toyota Starlet	1336.4
7	Philip OReilly	Toyota Starlet	1342.5
8	Eoin Murray	Toyota Starlet	1342.7
9	Damien Mooney	Citreon Saxo	1344.1
10	Andrew Weir	Toyota Starlet	1346.8
11	Graeme Hade	Toyota Starlet	1359.0
12	Taylor Gribbon	Nissan Micra	1362.2
13	Anthony Freeney	Toyota MR2	1363.7
14	Piers Mac Fheorais	Toyota MR2	1364.3
15	Eric OSullivan	Ford Puma	1371.9
16	Paul Tierney	Toyota Starlet	1380.0
17	Eric Conlon	Toyota Starlet	1380.5
18	Jamie Murray	Toyota Starlet	1381.4
19	Liam Cashman	Toyota Starlet	1382.1
20	Ed Holfeld	Mazda MX5	1396.1
21	Richard Turner	Toyota Starlet	1406.3
22	Fergus Mallon	Mazda MX5	1425.3
23	Gareth Dillon	Mazda MX5	1428.4
24	James Casey	Ford Puma	1429.6
25	Ian McCann	Vauxhall Nova GTE	1435.0
26	Conor Clarke	Toyota Starlet	1436.4
27	Robert Magee	Mini Cooper	1436.8
28	Sean Downey	Toyota Starlet	1439.2
29	Adam Farrelly	Toyota Starlet	1514.1
30	Danny ODonohoe	MG Midget	1515.6
31	Daniel ODonohoe	MG Midget	1533.6
32	Brian Casey	Suzuki Ignis Sport	1567.6
33	Hugh Prior	Mazda MX5	1615.6
34	Maurice McMonagle	Mazda MX5	1683.4
35	Anthony Devine	Mini Cooper	1717.2

FWD over 1400cc Class Results

Class Position	Competitor Name	Car	Time
1	Niall Murray	Toyota Starlet	1311.2
2	John Nolan	Toyota Starlet	1318.6
3	Brian Kingston	Suzuki Ignis Sport	1319.6
4	Robert Robinson	Toyota Yaris	1323.8
5	Eoin Murray	Toyota Starlet	1342.7
6	Damien Mooney	Citreon Saxo	1344.1
7	Jamie Murray	Toyota Starlet	1381.4
8	Liam Cashman	Toyota Starlet	1382.1
9	Ian McCann	Vauxhall Nova GTE	1435.0
10	Brian Casey	Suzuki Ignis Sport	1567.6

FWD up to 1400c Class Results

Class Position	Competitor Name	Car	Time
1	James Driver	Toyota Starlet	1330.6
2	Dermot Hade	Toyota Starlet	1336.4
3	Philip OReilly	Toyota Starlet	1342.5
4	Andrew Weir	Toyota Starlet	1346.8
5	Graeme Hade	Toyota Starlet	1359.0
6	Taylor Gribbon	Nissan Micra	1362.2
7	Eric OSullivan	Ford Puma	1371.9
8	Paul Tierney	Toyota Starlet	1380.0
9	Eric Conlon	Toyota Starlet	1380.5
10	Richard Turner	Toyota Starlet	1406.3
11	James Casey	Ford Puma	1429.6
12	Conor Clarke	Toyota Starlet	1436.4
13	Robert Magee	Mini Cooper	1436.8
14	Sean Downey	Toyota Starlet	1439.2
15	Adam Farr