Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan narrowly lead Donegal International Rally
Derry's Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and his Killarney co-driver Noel O'Sullivan, seeking a third straight victory, hold a 12.4s lead over the Hyundai of New Zealander Hayden Paddon and his Mallow born co-driver David Moynihan with the Welsh/Killarney duo of Meirion Evans/Ger Conway (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) 2.8s further behind in third.
Devine and Armstrong were joint quickest on the opening stage at Malin Head with Paddon 1.9s behind and 0.3s ahead of Donegal's David Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5).
Armstrong was best on SS2 Mamore Gap and moved into the lead just 0.9s ahead of Devine, who topped the time sheets on SS3 Coolcross, that completed the opening loop. At the Carndonagh service halt, Devine led by 7.1s. "The pace is fast for sure." His closest rival at the end of last year's rally Meirion Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) had a steady run and moved into second place 3.3s ahead of his MEM team mate William Creighton.
Having moved into the lead after SS2 Armstrong dropped to ninth place and thirty seconds off the lead when his Ford Fiesta R5 broke a driveshaft on SS3. Paddon was another to lose time when he spun on SS2 - by the end of the loop he was fifth 12.7s off the lead and 1.5s behind Josh Moffett, who reverted to his Hyundai i20 R5 for this latest round of the Irish Tarmac series.
Kelly, who had been temporarily shown as rally leader after SS2, but in reality was seventh, climbed a place to occupy sixth, he reckoned that the stages were dustier than expected.
Armstrong set a blistering pace on SS4 and SS5 and admitted to being a bit cautious on SS6 where the level of grip varied. Serving notice of intent he trimmed 9.3s off Devine's lead to leave the gap between them at 20.7s with 14 stages remaining over today (Saturday) and tomorrow.
Leader Devine put the event in perspective saying: "There's no let-up in it, the pace is as fast as it's ever been, a second here and there, that's what you get when you bring professional drivers here.
"It's trying to stay out of bother but you need to be on the pipe, but we are definitely happy. It's another big day tomorrow."
Paddon enjoyed his afternoon as he continued to tweak his Hyundai, adding: "We are still struggling a bit, just for the feeling in the car and the roads are very demanding. You have got to have a lot of confidence in these stages with the car and in the conditions, I'm enjoying it but to be at the maximum, you need to be a hundred percent."
Third placed Evans had what he described as his best Friday in Donegal with a strong pace without taking any risks.
Josh Moffett completed the top six overnight. In what is set to be an absorbing battle, there are eight stages today and six on Sunday.
Wilton Recycling Donegal International Rally (Round 4, NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship) Letterkenny
1. C. Devine/N. O'Sullivan (Skoda Fabia RS Rally) 41m. 18.2s
2. H. Paddon/D. Moynihan (Hyundai i20 Rally2)+12.4s
3. M. Evans/G. Conway (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+15.2s
4. W. Creighton/L. Regan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+15.4s
5. J. Armstrong/S. Byrne (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+20.7s
6. J. Moffett/A. Hayes (Hyundai i20 R5)+28.9s
7. D. Kelly/A. Kierans (VW Polo R5)+41.3s
8. D. Boyle/P. Walsh (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+44.9s
9. M. Boyle/D. McCafferty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+53.7s
10. K. Eves/C. Melly (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 26.8s.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Devine seals Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title with Ulster win
Derry driver Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) captured a second Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title in three years in style with a start-to-finish victory in the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, the penultimate round of the NAPA Auto Parts series. At the end of the 12-stage event, he was 21.4s ahead of the Hyundai i20 Rally2 of Welsh driver Osian Pryce with Donegal's Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 33.2 seconds further behind in third. Devine started Saturday's second and final leg with a 12.9s lead over Boyle and when that margin became 22.2s when Boyle had an overshoot, Devine's task became one of lead management. Without taking any risks, he achieved his aim and with four consecutive victories, he put the Fisher Family Perpetual Trophy out of reach of his rivals. An issue with the pop off valve on the final stage brought a heart-stopping moment before he could seal the series. Having lost time, Boyle came under pressure to hold second from the constantly improving Pryce, who was fine-tuning the Hyundai as new co-driver Andy Hayes adapted to the Welshman's pacenote requirements. He reeled in Boyle on SS9 and, with a total of six stage wins, was happy with what was his preparation for the ERC/BRC championship Rally Ceredigion in early September, his home event. Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2) took fourth place - a battle with fellow Donegal driver Matthew Boyle ended when the latter's similar car burst the steering rack on a road section. Armagh's Damian Toner (Ford Escort) won the Modified category and also netted sixth overall. Earlier, Laois driver Aidan Bourke (Ford Escort) gave a sterling performance and led until he slid off on SS8. Meanwhile, the ALMC Hellfire Rally in Oldcastle, round six of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, was won by Monaghan's Josh Moffett, who campaigned a Dom Buckley hired Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, he finished 5.5s in front of Kilkenny's Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) with Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 5.2s further behind in third. Although Josh Moffett led initially - 2.7s ahead of top seed Eddie Doherty, it was Gary Kiernan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) that topped the leaderboard after the second and third stages. At the service park and while he agreed he was somewhat surprised, he explained: "We did a pre-event test, we changed my seat, it was a better fit, we also softened the front suspension and that was it." After the three stages, he was 1.1s ahead of the similar car of Derry's Desi Henry, who lost time and momentum on the opening stage. Moffett was 2.1s further behind with Doherty (fourth) 6.1s off top spot - mostly due to the selection of a tyre compound that was too soft, and the remainder, by admission, down to his own driving, a pop of valve issue didn't help the situation. A cautious Declan Boyle held fifth from Barry Morris (Darrian T90 GTR). Second overall after SS2, a front left wheel puncture dropped Michael Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) to 29th. On the second loop, a spin on SS5 saw rally leader Kiernan slip to fifth as Moffett moved in front and at the final service was 5.3s ahead of Henry. As Moffett continued to lead from Henry, Doherty leapfrogged Boyle into third on the penultimate stage. Moffett went on to win from Doherty and Boyle but a puncture on the final stage saw Henry drop to fourth. Kiernan was fifth from Matthew Boyle (sixth) and Enfield's Tom Holton, who quickly adapted to his new Ford Fiesta Rally2 and along with Jason Dickson, Ballylickey's Daniel Cronin (Citroen C3 Rally2) and Kenagh's Tommy Doyle (Hyundai i20 Rally2) rounded out the top ten. In the Barum Czech Rally Zlin, round six of the European Rally Championship (Round 6) John Armstrong (Ford Fiesta Rally2) took a superb second place and has hauled himself (from sixth) into third place in the series. The Kesh driver and Donegal's Shane Byrne finished 10.7s ahead of the Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2 of local driver Jan Kopecky, who won the event for a twelfth time. Ulsterman Philip Allen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) crashed on SS6. Modern Tyres Ulster Rally (Round 6, NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship) Newry: 1. C. Devine/N. O'Sullivan (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 1h. 29m. 28.1s; 2. O. Pryce/A. Hayes (Hyundai i20 N Rally2)+21.4s; 3. D. Boyle/P. Walsh (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+54.6s; 4. K. Eves/C. Melly (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+2m. 25.1s; 5. N. Roskell/D. Barritt (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+6m. 26.3s; 6. D. Toner/A. Gallagher (Ford Escort)+9m. 39.9s; 7. G. Black/C. Dunlop (Toyota Starlet)+10m. 51.5s; 8. B. O'Neill/R. Riordan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+11m. 07.8s; 9. J. Mulholland/R. Farrell (Ford Fiesta Rally3)+11m. 19.2s; 10. J. Gordon/G. Neill (Ford Escort)+11m. 35.0s. ALMC Hellfire Rally (Round 6, Triton Showers National Rally Championship) Oldcastle: 1. J. Moffett/K. Moriarty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 48m. 16.3s; 2. E. Doherty/T. Murphy (Skoda Fabia R5)+5.5s; 3.D. Boyle/P. Walsh (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+10.2s; 4. D. Henry/D. O'Sullivan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+17.8s; 5. G. Kiernan/J. McCabe (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+23.3s; 6. M. Boyle/G. Byrne (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+56.5s; 7. 8. T. Holton/S. Joyce (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 39.5s; 7. J. Dickson/M. Brady (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 1m. 46.7s; 9. D. Cronin/P. O'Donovan (Citroen C3Rally2)+1m. 50.8s; 10. T. Doyle/L. Moynihan (Hyundai i20 Rally2)+1m. 58.4s; Barum Czech Rally Zlin (Round 6; European Rally Championship): 1. J. Kopecky/J. Hovorka (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)2h. 00m. 49.3s; 2. J. Armstrong/S. Byrne (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+10.7s; 3. A. Mabellini/V. Lenzi (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+13.8s; 4. S. Wagner/H. Ostlender (Hyundai i20 N Rally2)+16.5s; 5. E. Cais/D. Trunkat (Hyundai i20 N Rally2)+59.3s; 6. F. Mares/R. Bucha (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+1m. 04.1s Provisional Championship points after Round 6: 1. M. Marczyk 122pts; 2. A. Mabellini 111pts; 3. J. Armstrong 81pts; 4. M. Ostberg 76pts; 5. R. Korhonen 60ptsI. Reiersen 60pts.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Flying Forest subject Andrews to tough Premier League baptism
Premier League: Nottingham Forest 3 Brentford 1 Keith Andrews endured a difficult start to life as Brentford manager after watching his team comfortably beaten by Nottingham Forest. Taking charge of a competitive fixture for the first time since being unveiled as Thomas Frank's successor, the former Republic of Ireland international looked on in horror as Nuno Espirito Santo's side exposed the visitors' defensive vulnerabilities in ruthless fashion. Two first-half goals from Chris Wood, which bookended one from Forest's £36m summer signing Dan Ndoye, effectively put the game beyond Brentford's reach before the interval. Igor Thiago's late penalty proved nothing more than a consolation, with Nuno still feeling relaxed enough to substitute most of his most influential performers during the closing stages. Despite Andrews' lack of experience - he has never led a Premier League team before - Brentford owner Matthew Benham's belief in the 44-year-old's talents is clearly strong. But it will have been shaken by the sight of fellow debutant Caoimhin Kelleher being forced to pick the ball out of his net three times before the break, with some woeful defending responsible for all of those efforts. Nottingham Forest's Murillo (left) celebrates their side's third goal of the game, scored by team-mate Chris Wood (second right). Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire. Wood's fifth minute finish marked the start of the deluge, as the New Zealander outmuscled three markers to meet Elliot Anderson's corner before sweeping home. He pounced again just before the break, escaping the clutches of Brentford's rearguard after again combining with Anderson. Moments earlier, following another sustained period of heavy Forest pressure, Ndoye had slipped away from Rico Henry to head home Morgan Gibbs-White's delightful assist. After paying a club record fee to acquire Bournemouth's Dango Quattara on the eve of this fixture, Andrews should not want for attacking talent when the African becomes available for selection ahead of Brentford's next game. But, even with his reign at the embryonic stage, his squad's lack of authority at the back will be a real cause for concern. Quattara's presence should add some much-needed penetration, with Yehor Yarmoliuk spurning Brentford's only clear-cut opportunity before they rallied a little during the closing stages. Jordan Henderson's introduction midway through the second period injected a little more authority into their work. His entrance coincided with the awarding of a penalty to Brentford during the closing stages. Thiago, a peripheral figure until that point, duly converted after Ibrahim Sangara had been punished for handball. Andrews will leave the east Midlands with plenty of food for thought following this ineffective display, which admittedly must be measured against the loss of Bryan Mbuemo and absence of Yoane Wissa as uncertainty continues to shroud his future at Brentford.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Derry driver Devine leading the way with solid Ulster Rally lead
Derry's Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) leads the way in the Newry-based Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, the penultimate round of the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. At the end of Friday's opening leg of six stages he holds a 12.9-second lead over Donegal's Declan Boyle, also in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 with Welsh driver Osian Pryce (Hyundai i20 Rally2) 15.9 seconds further behind in third. Stating his preference for the opening stage rather than the remaining two stages of the loop, it wasn't surprising that Devine took a 9.2s lead on the first pass through the Slieve Roe stage to the north of Rostrevor. Boyle was next followed by Welsh ace Pryce, who was 6.3s further behind in third with Michael Boyle's Skoda Fabia another 2.5s behind. Pryce was best on SS2 (Camlough) where Michael Boyle's rally ended when he had an excursion that ripped two wheels from his Skoda Fabia. Out on SS3 Slieve Gullion, Declan Boyle became the third driver in as many stages to post the fastest stage time as the crews returned to the well-appointed service park at the Modern Tyres complex. There, Devine, who led Declan Boyle by just 3.9s reflected on his position. "All's good," he said. "I enjoyed the first stage but then the other two were extremely tough, especially with the jumps, it was a case of managing my pace. I'm concentrating on the championship, that is my target, That first stage, you need to be so committed to be on it and I'm looking forward to going out on it again for SS4, as for the other two, it's all about finishing them." Meanwhile, second placed Declan Boyle was happy with his pace while Pryce, on what was his first outing in some 12 months said: "I am trying to get the feeling with the car and the way I like it. It's a new car for me, new co-driver (Andy Hayes) and new team, a lot to learn." Pryce was 10.9s off top spot and 23.4 ahead of the VW Polo GTi R5 of an untroubled Darren Gass with Matthew Boyle (Ford Fiesta Rally2) in fifth. Donegal's Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2) completed the top six. Extending his lead to 8.1s on the repeat of Slieve Rue, Devine stayed out of trouble and signed off with the best time on SS6 to lead by 12.9s. Boyle continued to punch in strong times as Pryce, who won the night's penultimate stage, reckoned some of the changes worked. An impressive performance saw Matthew Boyle (Ford Fiesta Rally2) slot into fourth from fellow Donegal driver Eves in a similar car with British driver Mark Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5) on his maiden Ulster Rally outing completing the top six. Unfortunately, Armagh's Gass, who injured three ribs in a workplace accident during the week, was forced to retire at the end of SS4 as the landings over the crests was causing him further discomfort. Laois driver Aidan Bourke (Ford Escort) leads the Modified category. There are six stages in Saturday's second and final leg.
