Civic reception for centenary rally
Dieter Dressel from Bad Homburg near Frankfurt in his 1904 Mercedes being weighed-in at Market Square on Thursday.
06 June: It was a sight not seen in Naas for the past 100 years and one that most likely will not occur again until the Bi Centennial celebrations of the International Gordon Bennett Rally in 3003.
The re-enactment of the traditional weighing-in of a few of the 300 veteran and vintage cars taking part in the Mercedez-Benz International Gordon Bennett Centenary Rally took place in Market Square on Thursday evening on the same spot where the cars were weighed exactly 100 years ago.
The remainder of the cars will be weighed at Killashee House Hotel tomorrow morning (Saturday) before the official event gets under way.
The symbolic procedure was part of the civic reception hosted by Naas Town Council for the organisers and participants of the Gordon Bennett Rally and the open air event attracted a big crowd of enthusiasts. Afterwards, the Town Council officials and their guests crossed the Main Street to the new Moat Theatre where Mayor Timmy Conway extended a Ceid Mile Failte to the visitors.
The same visitors have come from 11 countries across the four continents of the world. Entrants include the famous Napier that won the 1902 Gordon Bennett race in France, owned and driven by Johnny Thomas of Carmarthen in Wales.
Naas participants included Roland Frayne driving his 1024 Vauxhall pictured depart Market Square on Thursday evening.
On behalf of The Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club and the participants, its president Denis Dowdall said it was ‘very significant we should be here in Naas where cars were weighed-in before the race 100 years ago’. He said at that time cars could not weigh-in before the race at more than 1,000 kilos and this had meant body parts, including bonnets, often being removed in order to keep the weight down. All cars in Market Square on Thursday weighed-in at over 1,000 kilos!
Denis Dowdall said it was marvellous to have such a high number of Kildare entries this year. These include: a 1903 Gladiator and a 1924 Vauxhall owned by Roland Frayne; Jim Boland’s 1904 Clement Talbot 14hp; George Frayne’s 1907 Gladiator; Eric Kavanagh’s 1908 2-seater S.C.A.T.; a 1910 Cadillac Tourer owned by Pakie Gavin; Gerald Mooney’s 1912 Model-T Ford; a 1922 Dodge owned by Michael J Doherty; a 1923 Model T Ford and a 1925 Bentley Tourer owned by Benny O’Gorman; a 1923 Morris Oxford owned by Patrick Goulding; a 1924 Model T Ford owned by Pat O’Connor; A 1925 Lancia Lambda owned by Yvonne Frayne; Michael D’Arcy’s 1925 Vauxhall; Seamus O’Connor’s 1926 Chrysler Imperial 80; Michael McCormack’s 1927 Rolls-Royce; Peter Smith’s 1928 Delage DM; a 1928 Morris Cowley owned by Jude Connellan; Michael Frayne’s 1929 2-litre Lagonda; Keith Pearson’s 1929 Rover; James and Josie Ginty’s 1929 Black Hawk Stutz; Fergus N Cooper’s 1930 Austin Chummy; Sean O’Gorman’s 1930 Model A Ford; Paul Donnelly’s 1930 Lagonda.
The event was organised by local IVVCC members Sean O’Gorman and Michael D’Arcy. The weighing scales was provided by DEM weighing systems, from Naas Industrial Estate.
Enthusiasts can view the cars tomorrow morning (Saturday) at the Moat of Ardscull and on Sunday morning when they visit the National Stud and Japanese Gardens in Kildare Town.
Mercedez-Benz are the official sponsors of the Centenary International Gordon Bennett Rally.
Organisers Sean O'Gorman (with his daughter Emily), and Michael D'Arcy with Denis Dowdall, president of the IVVCC, at the weighing-in at Market Square.
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