Lampeter's Meirion Evans aims for top spot at Donegal Rally
This will be Meirion's fifth Donegal Rally start and he arrives in Letterkenny in tremendous form, having finished second on the recent Rally of the Lakes and was awarded the win on the Jim Clark Rally, having led the event at the time it was stopped at just over half distance.
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BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
Devine wins third Donegal International Rally in a row
Callum Devine came through a demanding Donegal International Rally to win the event for a third year in a row. The 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally champion won the three-day event - one of the most famous rallies in Europe - alongside co-driver Noel O'Sullivan by 20.5 seconds ahead of Wales' Meirion Evans, while local driver David Kelly was third. Skoda driver Devine, 31, led after Friday's six stages but a gruelling Saturday saw a number of big names drop out of contention. European Rally Championship driver Jon Armstrong posted a number of fastest stage times and was challenging Devine on Saturday's first loop but a differential problem on his Ford Fiesta dropped him out of contention, and a second mechanical issue halted his recovery later in the day. Two time ERC champion Hayden Paddon, a late entry for the rally from New Zealand, was in the mix for victory but rolled out on Saturday's penultimate stage. The final stage on Saturday claimed British Rally Championship title challenger William Creighton, who slid off the road with a slow puncture and decided to retire his Toyota Yaris. The various issues for front runners took away from what could have been a titanic battle for the win in the Donegal hills as just 20 seconds separated Devine, Creighton, Evans and Paddon after 12 as his rivals faltered, Devine, who himself battled handbrake issues, kept his cool to win the rally for the third consecutive and co-driver Ger Conway were a comfortable second and, despite his issues, Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne had moved back into podium contention but the Fermanagh driver retired after an off on the final promoted Kelly and navigator Arthur Kierans onto the final step of the podium for the second year in a row.
Cambrian News
13-06-2025
- Cambrian News
Lampeter's Meirion Evans aims for top spot at Donegal Rally
This will be Meirion's fifth Donegal Rally start and he arrives in Letterkenny in tremendous form, having finished second on the recent Rally of the Lakes and was awarded the win on the Jim Clark Rally, having led the event at the time it was stopped at just over half distance.
Belfast Telegraph
12-06-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Dungannon driver Kris Meeke reveals the big challenge he faces in latest Portuguese test
He is returning to a rally he won back in 2023 — and came close to conquering last year only for a throttle issue and a late puncture to deny him — in a car he has never driven in anger on Tarmac before. To complicate matters further, the competitive route for the two-day, closed-road fixture has undergone a number of tweaks as organisers attempt to increase the challenge for competitors. A shakedown test has been planned by the Sports & You team for the Dungannon man and team-mate Stuart Loudon to help the 45-year-old dial in the new Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris Rally2 on asphalt. 'It will undoubtedly be an interesting challenge,' admitted Meeke, who had been due to travel from Portugal to Letterkenny for next weekend's Donegal International Rally before having a change of heart following the death of Dai Roberts while competing on the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland, and his co-driver for Donegal — Brian Hoy — suffering injuries in a crash on the Cavan Stages Rally. 'It will be my first time with the new Yaris on asphalt, so there is going to be a lot to learn. In addition, we have not driven competitively on asphalt since last October's Vidreiro Rally, so the test is going to be essential to gain confidence — and help us prepare ourselves as best possible.' Meeke's winning start to the defence of his Portuguese crown came to an end on May's Rally de Portugal when late suspension failure on the final stage meant he was unable to make it back to parc ferme and collect another maximum points haul for topping the timesheets. He added: 'Rally de Portugal was obviously very disappointing, but that is behind us now. There are many new aspects to the Castelo Branco Rally and looking at the route, there are new special stages, and that means prior knowledge will not carry as much weight. 'It makes everything even more competitive, it will certainly be a close fight, especially with people like Dani (Sordo, Team Hyundai Portugal), but I am excited about the challenge.' Rali de Castelo Branco begins on Friday with four short stages and continues on Saturday when crews will tackle a further eight speed tests, the last of which is scheduled to get underway at 9.30pm UK time. Meanwhile, Kesh driver Jon Armstrong is also in action this weekend as he resumes his FIA European Rally Championship campaign at Rally Poland with Shane Byrne and M-Sport Ford.
