Gweedore club's track vigil ahead of demolition derby

Some of the competing cars getting ready for the off at the Gweedore stock car event on Sunday.

MORE than 300 people gathered in Gweedore last Sunday afternoon to watch the first demolition derby at the Glenhola venue in recent times.
Twenty five vehicles smashed and crashed their was around the track which is located a mile off the main Gweedore to Gortahork road.
The event, which lasted two and a half hours, thrilled the crowd and organisers have already pencilled in Sunday, July 3, for another demolition derby.
Car enthusiasts have been unable to use the stock car track in Gweedore ever since a concrete diffing area was broken using a rock hammer earlier this year as two rival factions battle for control of the site.
In April, Eugene Ferry, who operates Hilltop Raceway in Glenhola with his son Clint and PJ Bonner, admitted that he was the man who had taken the rock hammer to the track.
“It was a drastic step – I admit that. A lot of money, time and effort had been put into developing that track but I had been left with no choice,” he claimed at that time.
However, Mr Danny McCauley, chairman of the Gweedore Stock Car Club, argued that the site in question was commonage.
Last month, Gweedore Stock Car Club ensured that concrete was relaid on the damaged parts of the track.
“It was dug up again two weeks ago on Wednesday but we filled it with gravel in time for last weekend’s event,” Mr McCauley said.
Speaking to the Donegal News yesterday, Thursday, the chairman of the Gweedore Stock Car Club confirmed that he stayed on site last Saturday night in order to ensure that the track was usable on Sunday.
“It’s public money they destroyed this time around. We spent €3,000 on concrete to restore the track in recent weeks. That money had been raised at a function in the Dore Bar where members of the public bought tickets.
“While Mr Ferry admitted to ripping up the track the first time he said it wasn’t him that put in a digger to dig it up again a few weeks ago. This time we filled it in with gravel to allow Sunday’s event to go ahead,” Mr McCauley said.
To help make sure the event went ahead as planned members of the Gweedore Stock Car Club spent Saturday night up at the track.
“Community spirit in the area is unbelievable. More than thirty people sat up there all night Saturday to make sure that it would be okay for racing on Sunday,” he said.
“We’ll have to change our name as we no longer want to be associated with what’s gone on in the past and we’ll have a meeting to sort that out in the coming weeks.
“The track helps to keep these young lads off the road. For the last number of years the main roads were free from diff marks but all that changed this year. I think that maybe the young lads were making a point about the track being broken up.
“Some of the money raised from last Sunday’s event will go to the old folks home and Alzheimer’s Unit in Gweedore while some of the proceeds from next month’s demolition derby will go the Falcarragh Unit,” Mr McCauley said.

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