Heartbreak and Heroics: Donegal's David Kelly Snatches The 2026 Circuit Of Ireland Glory by a Whisker

 

Report: Neil McDaid 

Photos: David McDaid

DUNGANNON, IRELAND – You can keep your Monte Carlo ice, your Safari mud and dust; for pure, unadulterated drama, nothing touches a rain-lashed Saturday on some of Ireland's classic tarmac stages.

The 2026 Circuit of Ireland Rally didn't just deliver a winner; it delivered a script so packed with tension that even the most seasoned observers were left breathless. At the center of the storm was Donegal’s David Kelly, who snatched his first-ever Irish Tarmac Rally Championship win by a microscopic 0.5 seconds.

Day One: The Devine Dominance 

Friday was supposed to be the preamble, but Callum Devine turned it into a statement of intent. Armed with his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, the Derry man was in a different zip code. He took three fastest times from the opening four stages, carving out a commanding 26.4-second lead by the time the crews reached the overnight halt. Behind him, a trio of heavy hitters—Josh Moffett, David Kelly, and Eddie Doherty—were separated by just a single second, essentially fighting for the privilege of being "best of the rest." 

Day Two: The Brantry Lough Blowout

The Saturday morning loop changed everything. As the rain turned the asphalt into a glass-slick nightmare, Devine’s charge ended in a Tyrone hedge. Leading Stage 9 (Brantry Lough II), the reigning champion slid off the road, losing four agonising minutes. While he miraculously recovered to finish 8th, the door was kicked off its hinges. 

 

Josh Moffett, piloting the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, initially inherited the lead but immediately found himself in the fight in a battle for the top step of the podium. Moffett even lodged a formal appeal at the rally's conclusion, claiming he lost time slowing down to check on the stranded Devine—a testament to the razor-thin margins at play. 

The Final Sprint

Kelly, however, refused to blink. He moved into a 4.1-second lead on Stage 10 and, despite a furious late-stage charge from Moffett, managed his gap with the poise of a veteran. Under the most intense pressure, the Donegal man held steady through the final Dungannon tests to secure a career-defining victory. 

Position	Driver	Vehicle	Gap
1st	David Kelly	Skoda Fabia RS Rally2	Winner
2nd	Josh Moffett	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+0.5s
3rd	Eddie Doherty	Skoda Fabia RS Rally2	+1:00.2s

This wasn't just a win; it was a shift in the championship gravity. Kelly has arrived. With three rounds of the Championship in the bag, Kelly's victory on the Circuit moves him to third in the standings, just a mere point adrift of Callum Devine, both trailing Josh Moffet who holds the top spot. All crews will head southwest for round 4, the International Rally of the Lakes in Killarney on May 2–3.

If Kelly can maintain this form heading into Killarney, he will have a strong position heading into his home turf for the Donegal International in June.

2026 ITRC Driver Standings (Provisional After Round 3)

Note: Points for Round 3 are provisional based on final stage results.

Pos	Driver	R1 (Galway)	R2 (West Cork)	R3 (Circuit)	Total Points
1	Josh Moffett	13	22	17*	52
2	Callum Devine	22	17	6*	45
3	David Kelly	11	11	22*	44
4	Eddie Doherty	17	13	11*	41
5	Declan Boyle	9	8	9*	26

The Flying Finn heads Northwest: Jari-Matti Latvala set to Shake up the 2026 Olympus Rally

 

Shelton, Washington: If you’d told me a decade ago that we’d see the most experienced driver in World Rally Championship history tackling the Nahwatzel stage in a factory-backed Toyota, I’d have asked what was in your coffee. But here we are. In a move that has sent the American Rally Association (ARA)  into a proper tailspin, Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed that team principal Jari-Matti Latvala will pilot a second factory GR Corolla Rally RC2 at the Olympus Rally (April 17-19).

It’s a story with more layers than a Finnish onion. Latvala, an 18-time WRC winner, isn’t just coming for the scenery; he’s coming to show the kids how it’s done in the very car he helped develop.

But the biggest question mark hanging over the Washington woods isn't Finnish—it's Canadian. 

Brandon Semenuk

, the man who has owned Olympus for the last four years, currently finds himself without a permanent seat after Subaru shifted its focus. The word in the paddock is that 

Semenuk

 is scrambling for a last-minute drive specifically to measure himself against 

Latvala

. Can the "Master of the Northwest" secure a car in time to defend his turf? If he does, we’re looking at a heavyweight bout for the ages.

Latvala will be sharing the Toyota tent with 

Seth Quintero

, the desert-racing prodigy who is quickly learning that "flat out" in the trees is a different beast entirely. 

Quintero

 showed flashes of immense speed at 100 Acre Wood before a water splash claimed his air intake, and having Jari-Matti in the next bay will be like having a masterclass on tap.

Then there’s the "Old Guard" and the "New Wave":

Travis Pastrana

: Fresh off a stunning, hard-fought victory at 100 Acre Wood, Pastrana proved his Subaru WRX ARA25L can still humble the Rally2 machinery when the roads get fast.

Tom Williams

: The Brit made a statement in Missouri, leading much of the rally in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 before a puncture relegated him to third. He’s hungry, he’s fast, no question he will have his sights set firmly on the top step of the podium.

Lia Block

: The 19-year-old sensation just secured her first RC2 podium in Missouri. Driving the Rockstar Energy Hyundai i20 N Rally2, she’s no longer "the next big thing"—she’s here and she's now.

Speculation: The Latvala Factor

Make no mistake, Latvala’s entry is a seismic event for the ARA. He brings a level of technical feedback that will accelerate the Corolla’s development by months in a single weekend. But will the high-speed, technical logging roads of Washington suit his "maximum attack" style, or will the local knowledge of a (hopefully) present 

Semenuk

 or a charging 

Pastrana

 keep the visitor off the podium?

One thing is certain: when the first car leaves the line in Shelton, the eyes of the rallying world won't be on Europe—they'll be fixed firmly on the Pacific Northwest.

Will 

Brandon Semenuk

 find a way onto the entry list to challenge the WRC legend, or will 

Jari-Matti Latvala

 make the Olympus his own?

Report: Neil McDaid

Photos: JML media, Gazoo Racing

2026 Rally North Wales - McRae takes the Win

2026 ARA Rally in the 100aw Video recap.

Pastrana Holds Off Rally2 Charge to Secure 2026 100 Acre Wood Victory.

Salem, Missouri: The 2026 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood will be etched in the annals of American Rally Association history as one of the most fiercely contested events in recent memory. By the time the final stages unfolded on Saturday afternoon, the rally had transformed into an unrelenting multi-driver duel, with the leaderboard shifting unpredictably and victory hanging in the balance until the very end.

From the very beginning of the second day, the rally was on the edge of a knife. The top four crews were separated by a mere half-minute, and every stage brought a new twist to the unfolding drama.

At the heart of this intense battle was Britain’s Tom Williams. After a strong opening day, Williams found himself under pressure from the start of the first stage. His pace in his Rally2 machine had been evident from the very first stage on Friday. On the opening test of day two, it would be Lia Block and co driver Alex Gelsomino who set the faster time over SS6 immediately put pressure on the front runners. William now running first on the road would punch back on SS7 setting the fastest time. 

Travis Pastrana, driving for Subaru Motorsports USA, retaliated with a stage-winning run of his own, effectively regaining the lead. Despite deliberately adopting a conservative approach during certain segments of Friday’s stages, the Subaru driver’s assault on the final day was undeniably evident. During the morning loop, Pastrana and Williams were separated by a mere three seconds overall—a minuscule fraction of a second over a rally spanning over 120 competitive miles.

Lurking just behind them was the rapidly improving Lia Block. Still early in her campaign with top-level machinery, Block delivered one of the standout drives of the weekend. While the leaders traded seconds, she quietly strung together a series of consistent stage times,  should any of the rally leaders faltered even slightly, Block was perfectly positioned to capitalize.

Also firmly in the mix was Patrick Gruszka, whose measured approach contrasted with the all-out attacks unfolding ahead of him. Gruszka rarely topped the stage times, but his consistency kept him within reach as others pushed harder—and occasionally paid the price.

Saturday’s stages produced several notable retirements. The highly anticipated American Rally Association debut of the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team finally arrived at 100AW, as the team began its full championship effort with the all-new Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2.  Toyota’s rookie driver Seth Quintero held a consistent pace throughout day one setting some impressive times for his first competitive stage rally. Unfortunately the second stage did not go as planned. The deep water ford crossing on SS7 proved too much for the Corolla, the water pressure forced the hood up and drowned the motor. Seth was unable to finish the stage on his own power/

After returning to service and completing a thorough inspection and adding some missing body parts the Toyota rejoined the rally for the final loop as a Non-Competitive Entry (NCE). This allowed the Seth and team to continue running stages miles for development purposes.

Further down the order the attrition continued. Mechanical issues, punctures, and minor offs steadily trimmed the field as crews pushed harder in pursuit of time. .

Through the penultimate stage the top contenders were still separated by only seconds. Williams continued to attack relentlessly, at times appearing to have the upper hand. Pastrana responded in kind, refusing to relinquish the pressure and matching the Briton’s pace stage after stage.

Behind them Block was trying her best to keep Patrick Gruszka at bay while also staying in touch with Pastrana and Williams.

As the rally approached its final stage, the outcome remained uncertain. Crews faced a familiar dilemma: push relentlessly for victory or manage the risk and secure a podium finish. In rallies decided by mere seconds, even the slightest mistake—an overshoot, a stalled engine, or a puncture—could determine the entire event’s outcome.

Ultimately, the final miles delivered precisely the kind of drama fans had anticipated from the entire weekend.

The winning margin was measured in mere seconds after two days of relentless competition—an extraordinary statistic considering the rally’s length and pace. For many seasoned observers of American rallying, the event instantly became one of the most closely contested finishes in the championship’s history. While Pastana maintained the overall lead and secured the rally victory, Patrick Gruszka's full-throttle effort during the power stage claimed the stage win and bonus power stage points. Gruszka’s remarkable drive over the final test propelled him to second overall, relegating Williams to third and Block to fourth place, thus eliminating her from the podium.   

This years Rally in the 100aw  underscored the expanding depth of the ARA field.

Veterans like Pastrana remain formidable, but the challenge posed by rising talent—drivers such as Williams and Block—is becoming increasingly significant. Their impressive pace over the weekend indicated that the championship fight in 2026 could be one of the most competitive seasons the series has ever witnessed.

For now, however, the narrative centers around a single dramatic weekend in Missouri.

The 2026 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was not determined solely by dominance, luck, or attrition. It was decided by mere seconds—and by drivers who were determined to chase those seconds to the very end.

Report: Neil McDaid

Photos: Subaru Motorsport, Toyota Gazoo, Jacob Halfman/ARA