Callum Devine & Noel O’Sullivan were emphatic victors in the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally. Their Skoda Fabia performed faultlessly over the weekend, the pair leading right from the start and building up a strong lead by the end of day one and managing that lead all the way to the end. Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy took the runner up spot after an impressive drive in their new Skoda, just edging out Josh Moffett & Andy Hayes who gave their Toyota Yaris its debut and took fastest time on the last stage of the rally as they acclimatised well to their new mount. Eighty-five cars started on Saturday morning with sixty-one classified as finishers after two days rallying and fifteen tough stages. Callum Devine the current NAPA Autoparts Irish Tarmac Rally Champion gets his championship defence off to the perfect start by taking top points.
Day 1
The first day’s action took place around the Headford area, and the weather was unusually benign with clear bright conditions and no wind at all. The previous weeks rain had left some tricky conditions in sheltered parts of the route The opening test at Kilcoona was where Devine laid down a marker, going a full eight seconds clear over the 11.7-kilometre stage. Michael Boyle was Devines closest challenger with the top five places being a Skoda lockout. Eddie Doherty, David Kelly, and Declan Boyle held third, fourth and fifth respectively, with Gary Kiernan’s Fiesta in sixth place breaking the Skoda dominance. Josh Moffett & Eamonn Kelly were seventh and eighth in their Toyotas, seventeen seconds off the lead already.
The second stage at Kilbeg was curtailed as Eamonn Kelly and co-driver Conor Mohan’s Toyota hit a wall head on, fortunately without serious injury. Only the top two seeds got to complete the stage and Devines advantage over his rivals increased by ten seconds. The third stage at Caherlistrane saw Devine have his only major scare of the weekend when he broke a wheel rim, but fortunately the tyre did not deflate. Devines lead was at 21.3 seconds after the opening loop. Michael Boyle, Eddie Doherty, Josh Moffett, and David Kelly held the top five places. David Guest and Neil Roskell both slid off the road on the third stage but later rejoined under Rally 2.
The weather stayed fine as the same three stages were attempted for the middle loop and Devine pushed his lead to more than thirty seconds. Josh Moffett dropped back slightly as he still adjusted to his new mount, while Eddie Doherty was putting huge pressure on Michael Boyle to close within a couple of seconds by the end of stage six. The Kilbeg stage claimed another top runner on the second run in the shape of Tom Holton and Stephen Joyce who retired their Fiesta after going off the road. Cathan McCourt & Barry McNulty were having a difficult rally in their Fiesta with series of punctures disrupting their rhythm and costing them time. Darren Gass and Enda Sherry retired their VW Polo at the flying finish of stage six when they slid off and damaged the front suspension.
The final three stages of the day saw Devine ease out to a 42.3 second lead with Doherty finally squeezing ahead of Michael Boyle. Josh Moffett moved back into fourth place at the expense of Declan Boyle with David Kelly completing the top six places. The battle for the rest of the top ten places was no less intense with just over ten seconds separating Gary Kiernan in seventh from Ryan Loughran in tenth with Shane Quinn and Tommy Doyle sandwiched in between. Galway driver Stephen Greaney had been just outside the top ten but became another victim of the Kilbeg stage just before the days action concluded. Rodney Wilton and Michael Cahill were having a great battle for the modified honours, Wilton leading by just eight seconds overnight. Daniel Breslin retired after an accident earlier in the day while holding third place in the category.
Top 6 Overall After Day 1
1 – Callum Devine & Noel O’Sullivan Skoda Fabia Rally 2 0:56:55.0
2 – Eddie Doherty & Tom Murphy Skoda Fabia Rally 2 0:57:37.3
3 – Michael Boyle & Declan Boyle Skoda Fabia Rally 2 0:57:42.4
4 – Josh Moffett & Andy Hayes Toyota Yaris Rally 2 0:58:06.6
5 – Declan Boyle & Patrick Walsh Skoda Fabia Rally 2 0:58:06.9
6 – David Kelly & Shane Buckley Skoda Fabia Rally 2 0:58:11.1
Day 2
Six stages were scheduled for the second day, two runs over each of Attymon, Ballyfa and Windfield with the Windfield test being thew longest of the rally and a potential sting in the tail. David Kelly was fastest over the opening stage to move up two places to fourth as Devine was very much in containment mode, happy to let others take fastest time, but always thereabouts himself. The third stage was red flagged for all drivers as Rodney Wilton crashed out of the modified lead, and David Kelly was in luck. He had left his braking too late at a junction early on the stage and needed help from spectators to regain the road. Over a minute would have been lost but for the stage being cancelled, so he remained in fourth place. Tommy Doyle lost his top ten place when he retired on the tenth stage.
With three stages to go Devine looked home and dry and he managed his lead excellently to take victory by just over 37 seconds from Doherty. The Kilkenny driver had come under increased pressure from Michael Boyle as the rally headed for its conclusion and only 0.2 seconds separated them with two stages to go. However ,Boyles Skoda succumbed to mechanical problems on the penultimate test on Ballyfa. This left Doherty in a comfortable second place to take one of his best international results to date. Josh Mofett put a massive push on the last stage to take fastest time by seven seconds over David Kelly which was enough to give him third place at the Donegal drivers expense. Declan Boyle and Patrick Walsh took a fine fifth place ahead of the Fiesta of Ryan Loughran and Dale McGettigan who got quicker as the weekend went on.
Shane Quinn was seventh in another Fiesta after a very impressive and relatively trouble-free run with Keelan Grogan delighted with his eighth place overall in his Fiesta. Two more Fiestas rounded off the top ten in the hands of Sam Touzel and Gary Kiernan, respectively. Michael Cahill took the modified win ahead of JF Shovelin and John McQuaid all in Escorts. The Escort WRC of Jason McSweeney and Liam Brennan were the winners of the Historic Category after an event long dice with Ray Breen & Damien Morrissey’s Subaru Legacy. There was only eighteen seconds between the top two drivers by the end of the fifteen stages. Galway’s Ray Cunningham & Ross Forde in a Mini Cooper ‘S’ took the final podium place.
There was drama at both ends of the Junior Rally which encompassed the six Sunday stages. Top seed Jason Gorham led early on but second seed Darragh Mullins crashed out soon after the start of the opening stage at Attymon. Aaron Reid then led until the final stage when he went off the road, handing victory to Graham & Trevor Roche in a Honda Civic. The Brian G. Thornton Trophy for best Galway Motor Club crew was won by Dean Raftery & Oisin Joyce in a Ford Fiesta Rally 3 who also finished seventeenth overall. Second GMC crew were Adrian Quinn & Desk Sherlock (Renault Clio) and third were Pat & Jonathan Kelly (Ford Fiesta).
Top 10 Overall
1 – Callum Devine & Noel O’Sullivan Skoda Fabia Rally 2 1:45:24.7
2 – Eddie Doherty & Tom Murphy Skoda Fabia Rally 2 1:46.01.8
3 – Josh Moffett & Andy Hayes Toyota Yaris Rally 2 1:46:11.3
4 – David Kelly & Shane Buckley Skoda Fabia Rally 2 1:46.16.7
5 – Declan Boyle & Patrick Walsh Skoda Fabia Rally 2 1:46:39.0
6 – Ryan Loughran & Dale McGettigan Ford Fiesta Rally 2 1:47:34.2
7 – Shane Quinn & Stephen Reynolds Ford Fiesta Rally 2 1:47:56.7
8 – Keelan Grogan & Ayrton Sherlock Ford Fiesta Rally 2 1:48:11.0
9 – Sam Touzel & Max Freeman Ford Fiesta Rally 2 1:48:30.4
10 – Gary Kiernan & John McGrath Ford Fiesta Rally 2 1:49:24.0
Top 3 Modified
1 – Michael Cahill & Killian McArdle Ford Escort Mk2 1:53:07.6
2 – JF Shovelin & Dylan Baskin Ford Escort Mk2 1:55:23.2
3 – John McQuaid & Thomas Treanor Ford Escort Mk2 1:55:51.3
Top 3 Historic
1 – Jason McSweeney & Liam Brennan Ford Escort WRC 1:57:13.0
2 – Ray Breen & Damien Morrissey Subaru Legacy 1:57:31.6
3 – Ray Cunningham & Ross Forde Morris Cooper ‘S’ 2:04:01.4
Top 3 Junior
1 – Graham Roche & Trevor Roche Honda Civic 0:56:17.5
2 – Patrick Doherty & Conal McNulty Honda Civic 0:56:39.3
3 – Eoin Kelly & Darragh Kelly Honda Civic 0:56:41.5
Brian G. Thornton Memorial Trophy Best Galway MC Crew
1 – Dean Raftery & Oisin Joyce Ford Fiesta Rally 3 1:53:23.1
Top Rally 3 Crew
1 – Cian Caldwell & Paul McPhillips Ford Fiesta Rally 3 1:52:46.6
Top Rally 4 Crew
1 – PJ McDermott Jnr & Johnny Baird Ford Fiesta Rally 4 1:57:43.7
