Callum Devine targets Donegal Rally outing in his Fiesta R5

Reigning Prestone Motorsport News Junior British Rally champion Callum Devine is set to compete on the Donegal International Rally in an upgraded Ford Fiesta R5.

Irishman Devine has used the £30,000 JBRC prize money to step up to the Junior World Rally Championship in 2018. He finished sixth in class in Sweden, his first event on snow and his first with his own pace notes, and followed that up with fifth in the JWRC in Corsica alongside co-driver Keith Moriarty.

Devine purchased the Fiesta R5 and competed on Wales Rally GB in it last year – his only event in four-wheel-drive machinery so far – and finished 13th in the RC2 class mostly populated by fellow R5 cars.

The result was more impressive given the field of Fiestas on the event had Evo 1 and 2 upgrades, whereas Devine’s car had neither.

Now he’s looking to get some asphalt running in on the car, at one of Ireland’s most competitive rallies.

“I’ve done Donegal three times in an R2 car, I know what the pace is like come Donegal in the Irish Tarmac Championship,” said Devine. “It gets out of hand! I’d be stupid if I thought I was going to keep up with those guys as the likes of the Moffetts [Sam and Josh] are on it. The pace is crazy. It will be a nice gauge for us to see where we’re at.

“It’s one of the only ones [ITRC rounds] I have experience of.”

Devine will also return to the Pirelli International Rally this weekend to get some gravel testing in his Ford Fiesta R2T before the next round of the JWRC, Rally Portugal.

Devine is eager to sharpen his notes to be more accurate and detailed.