The first turn right off the Cootehill to Ballybay road in Co. Cavan brings the occasional traveller to Hutt Cross outside the Co. Monaghan village of Latton; to many it’s another of Ireland’s many crossroads complete with winding entries and a solitary signpost, except if you are a Motorsport fan. To many of Ireland’s regular Autocross and Stage Rally Competitors Hutt Cross is the Venue of Cavan Motor Clubs Autocross Track, which in 11 years of existence remains the only permanent Autocross Track wholly owned and managed by an Irish Motor Club.

 In as much as the Hutt Cross Track provides a challenge to the drivers on seven occasions during the Motorsport year, this pales in comparison to the challenge faced by the committee of County Cavan Motor Club waking up to the reality, as many other clubs did, that Stage Rallies faced a very uncertain future in the mid-eighties and those without another outlet for the competitive spirit of their Club members would fall by the wayside. In the spring of 1987 the then Committee decided to direct their time and energy into a fund raising venture, the purpose of which was to purchase a suitable property for the staging of “off road” events.

The idea of a ‘limited draw’ was suggested, but first it had to pass the acid test of an open club meeting at which the 13 member committee was grilled by the club membership as to the wisdom of having a Lada car as first prize in such a draw. A total prize fund of £8000 also seemed out of reach to some, but time would prove the correct decision had been made. Spearheaded by the then Club Treasurer Douglas Mahood, all the tickets were sold and on August 27^th 1987 the winning ticket was drawn with the winner forgoing the Lada, excepting a cheque for £5000 in lieu and promptly emigrated to Australia.

 A land fund account was opened in the local ICS office, where the records show that £9000, the draw profits were deposited on the same date. A further raffle for a ‘seat’ with Kenny McKinstry in the 1988 Cavan Stages Rally in addition to some of the proceeds of the sale of an Autocross special owned by Robert Keith and Douglas Mahood were to swell the ICS account to the point where it was now possible to shop around for a suitable property. After appraising several possible sites, the decision was made to purchase a disused quarry at Hutt Cross; the location of the 14 acre site was an important factor as the town of Cootehill was then regarded as the hub of the club’s activities.

 Work to convert the new acquisition into a rallycross track commenced in April 1994 and continued apace until December, when the Track was ‘laid’ and left to settle over the winter months. Great credit is due to Fitzpatrick and Wedlock (Groundwork Contractors), Noel Conaty (Builders) under the direction our own Track Project Manager Noel McMenamin for the track that greeted the fifty eager competitors on the morning of October 22^nd 1995. Obviously they liked what they saw, enjoyed their day and the word spread.

After each event repairs had to be carried out, corners cemented and tar macadam laid. The profits accrued from each event were reinvested, improvements made, to the point where Cavan Motor Club had a state of the art Autocross Track. With entries oversubscribed and a huge spectator following, 1999 saw the club back at the drawing board to extend the track, paddock area, and additional covered scrutiny. The club applied for and were granted £25,000 from the National Lottery in May 2000 and work started immediately in order to have all in readiness for the October event.

 To this end, Peter McArdle and Mervyn Wedlock did Trojan work in breaking rock from the cliff face and filling in the “bog”. More cement and tarmac were applied completing a perfect surface of chalk, loose gravel and tarmac – a real test for competitors. By now, a new sponsor had arrived on the scene in the name of Brendan McAree of “McAree Engineering, press and laser products” and “V-Mac Silos”. In addition to their overall sponsorship for the “Loose Surface Quarrycross Championship”, McAree Engineering erected a commentary box in the shape of a grain silo on an elevated area of the Track, allowing the commentator to inform spectators and Competitors of the times being recorded and those recording them.

 Since the inception of the V-Mac Silo’s Autocross Championship, further funding has been acquired to develop the Track even further with the emphasis on Safety with the addition of Armco barriers along the start/finish straight and elevated permanent Marshals positions along the Track. The spectator facilities have also been improved with a new Toilet block being built during the summer of 2006. The much developed track area is also in its final phase allowing a third configuration to be used by Clerks of the Course.

A track of the Quality of Hutt Cross is an attraction to the most accomplished autocross drivers and indeed some have honed their skilled on the technical nature of the course. The most successful driver in the history of Hutt Cross has to be Fivemiletown’s Ronnie Coulter in his ex-Tony Bardy Vauxhall Astra with three V-Mac Silos Championship titles and three Club Championship Titles.

The Moffett family name is also synonymous with Hutt Cross with brothers Robert & Maurice being involved from the very start with Robert winning the Championship in his Metro Cosworth in the pre – V-Mac years. The second generation of the family is starting to make its mark as Robert’s son Sam has took overall victories this year in the R6 Buggy. In 2002, Cyril McCullagh won the Championship with 6 maximum scores while Ronnie Coulter took the second of his titles in 2003. 2004 was Patrick Higgins year as he recorded many victories in his little Vauxhall Nova on the way to his Club Championship. The McAree Family ended their association with Hutt Cross last year but not before crowning one last Champion in the shape of Castletara Co.Cavan driver Joseph Smith in his Mk2 Escort.

The present Championship year is sponsored by Wedlock Plant Hire, another name synonymous with Hutt Cross, as Mervyn has been the Groundwork Contractor since the start. Hutt Cross has also seen steady use by neighbouring Motor Clubs for their club events, the most recent of which has been hosting Monaghan Motor Clubs benefit event for Chris Rodgers who was paralysed during the 2004 Monaghan Stages Rally. The event raised €18,500 for Chris’s trip to China for revolutionary treatment.

 The future is bright for Cavan Motor Club at Hutt Cross, with steady development and continuing strong Championship turnouts makes a visit to Hutt Cross a good day out for all Motorsport fans. The directions are simple “first turn right off the Cootehill to Ballybay road” and follow the dust!!