Latest news with #NorthernIrelandMotorClub
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Callum Devine on course for Ulster Rally and Irish Tarmac Championship double
Devine safely navigated the Friday leg of the Northern Ireland Motor Club event alongside Noel O'Sullivan, the Claudy man's Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 holding a slim 12.9 second lead over the identical Czech-built supermini belonging to Declan Boyle. It was a somewhat bitty run over the opening loop of three special stages for Devine, who complained of boiling his brakes on the first test before clipping the right rear tyre on the next one – a mishap that would normally be punished by way of an immediate puncture – yet he returned back to service in Newry city holding a near four-second lead over Boyle. With darkness falling and lamp pods required for the second loop of closed-road stages, Devine said getting through these and making it back to the safety of parc fermé in one piece was the immediate aim. 'I am happy to get through with no drama – we got into a bit of a rhythm as the miles went by, so I am happy,' he said, 'and when everything clicked on the night stages it delivered a special sensation.' Boyle's pace dropped in the dark, with a few moments also making the job of hanging on to Devine's coat-tails – and keeping event returnee Osian Pryce at arm's length – harder. And with Pryce confident the character of Saturday's roads could play into his hands, the 16 second buffer Boyle provisionally enjoys could ebb away. 'Tomorrow's stages are going to be more enjoyable,' said Hyundai i20 N Rally2 driver Pryce, 'for the simple fact there is more driving in them.' The Ford Fiesta Rally2 duo of Matthew Boyle and Kevin Eves swapped places on the final Friday stage to occupy fourth and fifth respectively, while Aidan Bourke is the top Modified exponent aboard a Ford Esocrt Mk2. Early Ulster Rally retirements included Boyle's other son Michael, his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 getting out of shape through a right-left section on 'Camlough' before it ended up in a hedge. Former Irish Tarmac Rally Champion Darren Gass was another unexpected casualty, the repeated jumps and compressions cracking the windscreen on his Solo Petroleum liveried Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 and also aggravating a recent work-related injury. 'That is us finished,' said Gass as he reached the stop line of 'Slieve Roe'. 'I hurt my ribs last week and I must have broken them on the second stage. I can't sit in her any longer.'
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Osian Pryce looks to give top seeds a run for their money in Ulster Rally
Pryce has put a deal together with C&M Motorsport to tackle the Northern Ireland Motor Club event in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 alongside experienced Irish navigator, Andy Hayes. Given the competitiveness of the South Korean supermini, the expectation is that Pryce can ask all the right questions of top seed Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) as well as David Kelly and Darren Gass (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) and Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2). Pryce is no stranger to visiting the top step of the Ulster Rally podium having conquered the now defunct Rally NI element back in 2013 using a Citroen DS3 R3. It was not deemed an outright triumph, however, due to international top seed Garry Jennings traversing the competitive route in a quicker combined time aboard a Subaru Impreza S12B World Car. 'We have always been in the mix and on the pace at the Ulster - it is one of my favourite events and I was lucky to win Rally NI in 2013, but it was such a long time ago,' said Pryce. 'Since then, the rally has moved to new locations several times and I have not done a lot in the area in which it is now based apart from one stage from 2021 I recognise because it was the one that I crashed on. This time, however, it is going to run in a different direction. 'It is a good rally but as for our chances I am not really sure how we will get on – the car is new, but it should be good and, so far, everything is being done in the proper, professional way. Adding someone into the mix like Andy is going to really help me as well. All the key ingredients are there, so we can just focus on the job in hand and try to enjoy ourselves.' Pryce last featured at the Ulster Rally four years ago and came within touching distance of clinching the British Rally Championship crown only to retire on the penultimate test. His demise handed a third consecutive title to fellow Welshman Matt Edwards – a first for the series – before putting the record straight 12 months later with Noel O'Sullivan's help. 'The Ulster Rally is one of those events that is renowned for its challenging stages and its incredible atmosphere,' said Pryce who will immediately return home from the Ulster and turn his focus to the British and European Rally Championship counting Rali Ceredigion. 'C&M and I had a chat and we managed to come to an agreement that suited us both – it made a lot of sense, really – which means that I get a bit of time in the car for Ceredigion, but also they get the Hyundai out for the Ulster, which is their priority as it is a round of the Irish Tarmac Championship. That was the reason for doing the Ulster – it works both ways.'
Belfast Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Ulster Rally boss reveals why joining prestigious European series would be so special for showpiece
Representatives from the FIA, motorsport's governing body, are travelling to Newry next month where they will meet with event officials, including Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington. If all goes to plan, and the Northern Ireland Motor Club showpiece ticks all the boxes, the understanding is it will become a round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship. The Championship is touted as the 'ultimate celebration of rallying's glorious past', with each decade from the Sixties right up to the Noughties represented by an array of exotic machinery from Porsche's 911 Carrera and BMW's M3 E30 to Ford's endearing Escort Mk2. It comprises 10 rounds in 2025, with these running between March and November and visiting several countries, including Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland and Portugal. Points-scoring rounds typically comprise 90 competitive miles, with crews tackling these over the course of one-and-a-half-days — a formula that works for the Ulster Rally. If Turkington and his team can bank a slot on the FIA EHRC calendar for 2026 it would have added significance as the Ulster Rally celebrates its 50th anniversary next August. 'We know the eyes of the motorsport world will be on us when the FIA representatives arrive, and we are determined to show that the Ulster Rally is ready to take its place on the European stage,' said Turkington. 'Securing a spot on the FIA European Historic Rally Championship would be a big endorsement of the event's quality and illustrious history. 'To bring the FIA European Historic Rally Championship to Northern Ireland in the same year that the Ulster Rally celebrates its golden anniversary would be incredibly special. 'It would be a fitting tribute to everyone who has contributed to the event over the past five decades, from volunteers and competitors to sponsors and spectators.' Plans for the 49th instalment of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally are well underway, with one title potentially set to be decided on the weekend of August 15th and 16th. A win would see the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title return to Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan who have been in imperious form since April. The Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 team-mates have triumphed on three of the four rounds they have started, including the Circuit of Ireland Rally, Killarney Rally of the Lakes, and Donegal International Rally.
