NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan overcame tough conditions to grab a late Circuit of Ireland Rally victory to kickstart their latest NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship campaign.
The 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally Champions had been second for most of the two-day event before three of the Circuit of Ireland’s top four hit trouble on its penultimate The Hollow test.
West Cork Rally winners Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin had dominated the rally with six straight stage wins in wet and mucky conditions, giving them a 39.4-second lead.
Cronin was masterful on the slippery stages but a brake issue ahead of stage ten saw his lead disappear. The Cork pilot was forced to bleed his Citroen C3 Rally2’s brakes and incurred one and a half minutes of road penalties as a result.
Worse was to follow as the quick fix didn’t solve the problem and as he cruised through The Hollow, his Citroen picked up a rear-left puncture. Somehow, he still managed to finish, taking eighth overall and a few crucial championship points.
Devine was Cronin’s nearest challenger and held a 27.1-second advantage over third-placed Matt Edwards after the latter overshot a junction on stage five.
The Welshman, who was building his confidence after an off in West Cork, responded with a hat-trick of fastest times to cut the gap to Devine to 6.4 seconds with two tests remaining.
With Cronin running into trouble, Edwards and David Moynihan were now in the hunt for their second Circuit victory in as many years. Unfortunately, their challenge ended on the slippery The Hollow stage, making it two retirements from their first two Irish Tarmac rounds.
Fourth-placed Eddie Doherty also failed to make it through the Circuit of Ireland’s penultimate stage which handed second position to the hard-charging Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy.
Jennings’ fightback from 15th after intercom issues on stage one was halted by a puncture on stage four but several top-five times, including the second-fastest time on stage five, allowed him to climb up to fifth.
The Hollow’s dramatic events put Jennings into second, albeit nearly a minute and a half behind rally winner Devine.
Donegal’s David Kelly finished the rally with a fastest time and completed the Circuit of Ireland’s podium positions. Kelly and co-driver Arthur Kierans finished fourth on the West Cork Rally, marking a strong start to the NAPA-backed series.
Paul Barrett and Michael Boyle rounded out the top five with Josh Moffett and James Ford among the drivers who had been running inside the top five before coming unstuck on Northern Ireland’s countryside terrain.
Ben McFall and Damian McAuley sealed a memorable Rally4 victory, enough to give them fourth out of the two-wheel-drive competitors.
Circuit of Ireland Rally top five:
1 Devine/O’Sullivan (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 1:39:28.5s
2 Jennings/Kennedy (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +1:24.9s
3 Kelly/Kierans (Volkswagen Polo R5) +2:26.0
4 Barrett/Kelly (Citroen C3 Rally2) +2:56.9
5 Boyle/Mullen (Polo) +3:22.6
McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC
Barry Morris extended his run of recent form by taking a huge victory in the Circuit of Ireland’s two-wheel-drive category. Morris and co-driver Darren Curran were untouchable aboard their Darrian T90.
McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC leader Damian Toner strengthened his position at the top of the standings with a runner-up finish on the Circuit. He survived a big overshoot on stage five to finish ahead of Fergal McGuigan and Michael Moran.
David Moffett and Martin Connolly had been enjoying the stages in their Toyota Starlet powered by a new KGP engine. Moffett was in contention before having to stop and change a puncture on the Circuit’s notorious penultimate test.
Reigning McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC champions Frank and Lauren Kelly had a home rally to forget. They were forced to stop and change a punctured wheel on the first stage before retiring with brake issues on Saturday.
Adrian Hetherington and Ronan O’Neill had shown good pace throughout the weekend but punctures spoiled their hopes of a result before failing to make it through the final test.
Circuit of Ireland Rally Modified top five:
1 Morris/Curran (Darrian T90) 1:47:21.6s
2 Toner/Gallagher (Ford Escort Mk2) +2:38.9s
3 McGuigan/Moran (Escort) +3:51.3
4 Moffett/Connolly (Toyota Starlet) +4:41.8
5 Cahill/Lennon (Escort) +4:48.7
Wales Motorsport Fabrication Historic ITRC
After a frustrating Friday suffering from intercom issues, Meirion Evans and Anthony O’Sullivan survived Saturday’s chaos to seal a one-minute, 16.5-second Historic victory over Andy Johnston and Jim McSherry.
John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson looked hard to beat in their BMW M3 after three early stage wins had given them a 42.5-second lead. Fuel pump issues ground them to a halt but they returned under super-rally regulations to entertain the crowds on Saturday afternoon.
O’Donnell’s trouble handed the Historic lead to Hugh McQuaid and Declan Casey until they were forced to retire on stage seven after a collision with a wall on the notorious The Hollow test.
Wales’ Evans picked up the lead which he managed over Johnson until the end. Four seconds covered third- and fourth-placed Josh Douglas and Trevor Wilson.
Circuit of Ireland Rally Historic top five:
1 Evans/O’Sullivan (Ford Escort RS1800) 1:54:23.2s
2 Johnson/McSherry (Vauxhall Chevette) +1:16.5s
3 Douglas/Rooney (Escort) +4:52.7
4 Wilson/Mulholland (BMW M3) +4:56.7
5 O’Donnell/Robinson (M3) +22:52.4
Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC
Andrew Bushe and Geraldine McBride sealed a 29.4-second victory in the Circuit of Ireland Junior Rally. Ben Fallis and Louise were their nearest challengers in a similar Nissan Micra Kit Car.
The Junior ITRC crew of Ronan Dorrian and Mickey Joe Browne completed the top three to pick up top points on round two.
Circuit of Ireland Rally Junior top five:
1 Bushe/McBride (Nissan Micra) 1:32:35.4s
2 Fallis/McBarron (Micra) +29.4s
3 Dorrian/Browne (Civic) +2:43.1
4 McLaughlin/McSorley (Micra) +6:57.6
5 McLaughlin/Wilson (Micra) +9:23.5
Photos by D Harrigan Images
Adam Hall, ITRC Press Officer