MOTORSPORT IRELAND CONTINUE TO PROMOTE ROAD SAFETY AT THE DONEGAL INTERNATIONAL RALLY   

It is estimated that 120,000 spectators attended the 2024 Donegal International Rally. Photo: Neil McDaid 

The Donegal International Rally is undoubtedly one of the biggest events in the country each year as over 120,000 people travel to Letterkenny for the weekend. The event is estimated to be worth over 20 million to the Donegal economy. With all these extra people, co-operation between civic services, the Donegal Motor club, locals, fans and Motorsport Ireland is of the upmost importance.

Motorsport Ireland Mobile command center. Photo; Motorsport Ireland 

 

In 2024, things were no different. Motorsport Irelands ‘Keep the Race in its Place’ campaign was largely advertised synchronously with An Garda Siochana’s ‘Project Nexus’. The two campaigns promote road safety. For Motorsport Ireland, this is done though road safety ambassadors William Creighton and Aoife Raftery, as well as a display unit, which was parked in the service of the Donegal International Rally on Saturday and Sunday.

 

An Garda Siochana’s project Nexus was launched in the form of a Stunning Golf R which was on display around Letterkenny all weekend. The 4 Wheel drive, 295HP Golf is a rescue vehicle and will be used at displays in the future by An Garda Siochana.

The Rally control room of the Donegal International Rally was also a Hotbed of activity for both Motorsport Ireland and An Garda Siochana. Both organizations collaborated to run a world class tracking room to manage Rally Traffic and ensure the event was able to run on schedule.

Garda Siochana out in full force in support of the 2024 Donegal International Rally. Photo: Garda Siochana/facebook

 

Motorsport Ireland and An Garda Siochana will continue to work in collaboration with each other to promote road safety to Irish road users and the next generation.

Motorsport Ireland President, Aiden Harper, had this to say; " We are thrilled to be able to work alongside An Garda Siochana this weekend as we both push our road safety initiatives. For us, the 'Keep the Race in its Place' message is so important. We want to get the word out there that there is a safe place for people to test their driving ability's and push their cars to the limit. Whether it be on a racing circuit or in a closed road rally, we can safely accommodate those who are seeking the thrill of high speeds, while also mitigating the risk involved."

Source credit: Motorsport Ireland  

Callum Devine takes back to back victories at the 2024 Donegal International Rally

Callum Devine charging over High Glen on day 2 of the Donegal International Rally. Photo: David McDaid/ Rally World New  

After three intense days of Irish Tarmac action, Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan kept their cool to secure a second successive Donegal International Rally victory. The reigning Irish Tarmac Rally Champions made a steady start to the 20-stage classic, setting the fifth-fastest time on Donegal's Malin Head opener. Driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 for the first time, Devine’s main intention was to stay within reach of early pacesetters Matt Edwards and Keith Cronin. When championship leader Cronin retired from top spot with suspension damage picked up from a stone wall collision on stage five, Donegal looked set to be a straight fight between Edwards and Devine.

Matt Edwards would again me denied victory in Donegal, a sligh off on Atlantic Drive on day three cost him the victory. Photo Neil McDaid / Rally World News

The two Irish Tarmac rivals traded times throughout Saturday's eight stages with Edwards holding onto a 16.2-second overnight lead. A down-on-power Ford Fiesta Rally2 cost Edwards some time at the start of Sunday's opener. Quick-thinking Edwards made an effective tweak to get his car back up to speed after the first kilometre but lost 3.1 seconds to Devine's stage-winning Skoda. Devine was putting the pressure on and before he knew it a second Donegal title was within his grasp. The constant corners of Atlantic Drive caught out Edwards when he misread a pacenote, ran wide, and damaged his Fiesta’s front-left suspension. Unbelievably the three-time British Rally Champion kept going, losing a minute to his rivals before making impromptu repairs ahead of the next Fanad Head test. Edwards’ never-say-die attitude ensured he stayed within the top four heading into Donegal's final service halt.

Meiron Evans used Donegal as a shake down for this new Toyota Yaris Rally2, decked out in the classic Castrol livery. Evan built speed throughout the 3 days as he came to grips with the new car, leaving him always in contention for the overall victory. Photo: David McDaid / Rally World News  

A 37.5-second lead for Devine dissipated on Donegal's penultimate Gartan test when he spun on an innocuous hairpin. Suddenly Meirion Evans’ Toyota Yaris Rally2 was only 20.3 seconds adrift and waiting to pounce on any further mistakes. Devine kept his emotions in check, however, to make a smooth sailing through the 19.9 kilometres of Fanad Head, recording a 17.4-second Donegal International Rally victory that propels him back up the 2024 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship's pecking order. A runner-up finish for Evans, and stand-in co-driver Ger Conway, was an impressive achievement for the Yaris’s ITRC debut. Evans’ best Donegal result to-date was made even more encouraging considering he finished day one 55.8 seconds adrift.

Four stage wins highlighted David Kelly’s supreme speed in his home county as he secured a maiden podium finish on an Irish Tarmac event. Kelly and trusty co-driver Dean O’Sullivan have shown big improvements this year and will be delighted with their result nine seconds behind Evans. Kelly, Evans, and Josh Moffett battled hard for positions throughout the rally with their fourth-place battle turning into a race for third when Cathan McCourt crashed out on Sunday's opening test. Moffett’s assault on a second Donegal International Rally win never really got going after suffering from pop-off valve and power steering issues on Friday. The Citroen C3 Rally3 pilot swapped places with Kelly on Saturday, picking up a fastest time in the process but couldn't match the 28-year-old’s pace on Sunday.

A spin on Gartan for Edwards added insult to injury after his earlier drama on Sunday afternoon and dropped him 4.8 seconds behind Moffett with one stage remaining. Knowing the value of every Irish Tarmac point, Edwards attacked Donegal's Fanad Head finale as if Moffett's fourth position was first. The Welshman completed Fanad 7.7 seconds faster than anyone else, moving ahead of Moffett to seal a fourth-placed finish - some consolation to an otherwise disheartening final day.

Michael Boyle completed Donegal's top six, fighting back from a time-sapping puncture on Lough Keel. Boyle benefitted from his father Declan’s gearbox-inflicted retirement from sixth on stage 18 before jumping ahead of Garry Jennings on Fanad Head.

Top five standings
1 Devine / O’Sullivan (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 2:18:18.9s
2 Evans / Conway (Toyota Yaris Rally2) +17.4s
3 Kelly / O’Sullivan (Volkswagen Polo R5) +26.4
4 Edwards / Moynihan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +36.8
5 Moffett / Hayes (Citroen C3 Rally2) +48.8

Rally4

Photo: RALLY4 seen Ryan MacHugh and Declan Boyle take the overall class victory.
Photo: Neil McDaid / Rally World News 

Ryan MacHugh and Declan Boyle cruised through Sunday's Gartan, Atlantic Drive, and Fanad Head stages to seal a 17-second victory in the Rally4 class. MacHugh reigned supreme on Saturday's eight stages, extending a 5.7-second lead to an imposing 58.8-second advantage. Ioan Lloyd and Sion Williams had been in the mix ahead of Saturday’s Knockalla opener but his Peugeot 208 Rally4 caught fire on the famous coastal classic. A split in the car’s exhaust was to blame - Lloyd and Williams were thankfully unhurt.

Second-placed Kyle McBride struck Armco on Saturday morning and fell behind fellow Peugeot pilot Keelan Grogan. The duo fought tooth-and-nail for Rally4’s runner-up spot with McBride finally overturning the 7.7-second deficit on Sunday and finishing 19.2 seconds ahead of Grogan after Donegal's 20 stages. Matthew Boyle and Casey Jay Coleman completed the class’s top five positions.

Rally4 results
1 MacHugh / Boyle (Ford Fiesta Rally4) 2:31:36.3s
2 McBride / Mullen (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +17.0s
3 Grogan / Sherlock (208) +36.2
4 Boyle / Byrne (208) +4:05.0
5 Coleman / Moore (208) +4:16.5

McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC

Declan Gallagher and John McCarty in their Toyota Starlet winners of the modified class.
Photo: David McDaid / Rally World News

Declan Gallagher started Donegal's final day with a slender one-second lead over Kevin Gallagher's eye-catching Darrian. The Darrian quickly threw down the gauntlet on Gartan and Atlantic Drive, moving ahead of Declan Gallagher’s Toyota Starlet by 17.3 seconds. Just when it looked like Kevin Gallagher and Ryan Moore would sneak their third Donegal National victory in a row, their Darrian lay down on Fanad Head. A broken wire was diagnosed as the root cause but the 25-minute time loss was a gutting blow for the Donegal crew.

Kevin Gallagher and Ryan Moore in the Darrian seemed all but sure of another Donegal modified  victory until electrical gremlins stalled their progress on Fanad Head.
Photo: Neil McDaid / Rally World News 

Now holding a three-minute lead, Declan Gallagher's all-but-certain modified win was put in jeopardy when smoke billowed from his Starlet at the start of Donegal’s final loop of stages. Starved of oil his Starlet somehow limped through Fanad Head to ensure Gallagher achieved his first ever Donegal National Rally win. Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan clinched second, over two and a half minutes behind Gallagher and John McCarthy. Third in the national section went to David Moffett and Martin Connelly.

McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC results
1 Gallagher / McCarthy (Toyota Starlet) 2:24:18.5s
2 McPhillips / Sheridan (Ford Escort Mk2) +2:45.9s
3 Moffett / Connelly (Escort) +3:15.6
4 Bogie / Rowan (Escort) +3:18.2
5 Harvey / Doherty (Escort) +3:51.6

Sherwood Engines Historic ITRC

 Meirion Evans and Anthony O'Sullivan historic class winners. Photo; Neil McDaid / Rally World News

Evans and Anthony O’Sullivan sealed a 48.5-second win in Donegal's historic section. The Sherwood Engines Historic ITRC crew was promoted to first after the post-event disqualification of Tommy O’Connell’s Ford Escort RS1800. Defending winners Michael McDaid and Declan Casey set the pace on Saturday, building a 16.4-second lead over O’Connell after the eight stages. A collision with a round-bale chicane on Sunday's opening Gartan test ended McDaid’s hopes of another Donegal success and handed the historic mantle to Evans.

A rapid fastest time on stage 17, Fanad Head, catapulted John O’Donnell’s BMW M3 into second, just ahead of championship leader Tomas Davies. O’Donnell stretched out his advantage over Davies to 12.8 seconds on the next Gartan test to clinch the runner-up spot. Ray Breen claimed fourth in his Subaru Legacy with Hugh McQuaid completing the top five.

Sherwood Engines Historic ITRC results
1 Evans / O’Sullivan (Ford Escort RS1800) 1:47:20.9s
2 O’Donnell / Aiden Friel (BMW M3) +48.5s
3 Davies / Davies (Escort RS1800) +1:01.3
4 Breen / Morrissey (Subaru Legacy) +1:24.6
5 McQuaid / Byrne (Escort RS1800) +3:09.1

Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC

Junior winners Jason Wilkinson and Ciaran McGinley Photo: David McDaid / Rally World News 

Jason Wilkinson and Ciaran McGinley recorded an eight-second Junior win ahead of Ronan Dorrian’s similar Honda Civic. Jason Tease finished third, 2.9 seconds ahead of Patrick Doherty.

Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC results
1 Wilkinson / McGinley (Honda Civic) 50:29.3s
2 Dorrian / Browne (Civic) +8.0s
3 Tease / Megee (Civic) +44.0
4 Doherty / Boyce (Civic) +46.9

5 Baskin / Moore (Civic) +1:22.7 

Source credit: Motorsport Ireland 

Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul speaks to Craig Breen's passing

Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul delivered a statement on Wednesday to explain what happened in the crash that killed Hyundai driver Craig Breen last week. 

 Breen lost his life when testing for Croatia Rally last Thursday. He was laid to rest in his home city of Waterford on Tuesday. Making his first public comment since the accident at a time when World Rally Championship teams usually host a media hour with all of its drivers, Abiteboul appeared in the Croatia Rally’s media center instead to explain the facts that have been determined from Breen’s fatal accident. 

 Abiteboul confirmed that a fence pole intruded the side window of Breen’s cockpit, and that the 33-year-old succumbed to his issues at the scene. “Craig was laid to rest yesterday and it’s been a very emotional time for all of us,” said Abiteboul. 

 “Emotions are still raw and there has been an amazing outpouring of grief for Craig, who was an incredible person to know, as a team-mate, competitor and friend. “Regarding the accident, we can say that Craig was participating in the pre-event test in Croatia. “Road conditions were slippery and the car slid off the road at a relatively low speed and made contact with a wooden fence. A post from this fence intruded into the cabin through the driver’s side window. 

 “The stage was closed immediately and the on stage medical team was rapidly on the scene. “We must mention that James Fulton was unhurt in the crash and our hearts go out to him. We are doing everything we can to support James at this time. “Craig was taken to hospital from the stage. 

As far as can be determined, Craig’s passing was instantaneous. “Hyundai Motorsport and the FIA are working together to review all aspects of the incident. “As far as can be ascertained, there was no issue with any element of the car, the tires or the safety equipment. 

The local police completed a report at the scene. “Moving to this weekend and Croatia Rally, it was clear from the feedback from all stakeholders, and Craig’s family and friends, that the competitive spirit of Craig would have wanted this weekend’s rally to continue and for his team-mates to participate. 

“We thought long and hard about how to do this and how best to honour Craig. To this end, we are contesting the event with two cars, both running with a special livery to honour Craig, his Irish roots and his beloved Irish rally community. “Craig was a wonderful person and that is true of his family and friends. The rallying community has really pulled together and it’s a mark of the high regard with which Craig was held. 

 “There are a number of initiatives to honor Craig taking place over this weekend. As well as our special livery we have a book of condolence in our hospitality unit that everyone is invited to sign. This will be shared with the family. “This is all we have to say collectively at this stage.”

Barry McKenna Ford Fiesta WRC, Insane Rally Onboard - Concord Pond New England Forest Rally 2021

David Higgins set to shake things up at New England Forest Rally.

After departing from his long term commitment with Subaru in 2019, Higgins has been chomping at the bite to make his return. This weekend Higgins returns to tackle New England Forest Rally in a McKenna Motorsports Ford Fiesta, with his sights locked firmly on his old team mate Travis Pastrana.  

Newry Maine: So many scenarios so little time, with the breaking news yesterday that David Higgins will make a return to the ARA Rally Championship this weekend in McKenna Motorsports Ford Fiesta, so many questions come to mind, mainly how his entry will factor in the drivers championship. Theres no question that David is here to help Barry in his quest for win back to back championships, to achieve this Barry has to win every rally from here out. 

 Yes, in case you missed it last year, Barry McKenna a privateer, is the defending 2020 ARA Rally Champion, McKenna managed to better the 2 car Subaru Factory team to take the title in 2020. 

So, scenario 1, road position, road position, road position, especially on day one, dust is nearly always a factor in Maine, much more than loose gravel, there’s currently rain in the forecast for day one, so best case for McKenna would be second on the road that’s assuming we get rain and no dust on day one. 

The Block factor, what role if any will Block play this weekend in Subaru strategy. 

Its not yet clear how many drivers will be in the seated draw, but I expect that Irish driver Marty McCormack who’s also here for a one off drive in Maine in yet another McKenna car has to the speed factor to be in the draw, so there’s no question he will also play a role for McKenna this weekend. 

Scenario 2, the Ken Block factor, so Ken is for the most part running as a privateer, but he is in a Vermont Sports car Subaru Factory spec car, of course Ken is out for the win, he knows no other way, he has vast experience in Maine, but if push comes to shove will Ken play into Subaru’s Championship strategy this weekend, no I did not say “team orders” just strategy. 

 It always Concord Pond this, Concord Pond that, yes of course its one of the most exciting stages in American rally, but its such a short fast stage, theres very little advantage that can be gained. Onto SS3, South Arm, a flat out stage from start to finish, apart from a few pesky chicanes, this is where things will get and have always gotten interesting, winning South Arm and more so the return on Icicle Brook [SS5] often sets a driver up for Saturday and ultimately the overall podium. 

This year the rally organizers have thrown in a little twist between South Arm and Icicle Brook which was always a turnaround stage. They have added Beaver Pond as SS4, this is an old stage that has not been used in years, it’s a fairly short stage with no major challenges but is new to most all drivers, so who knows. So at this time its all eyes on the seeded draw, when we hear the results of the seeded draw then we might take a stab at throwing out a prediction.. or 3