MASTERFUL M OFF ET TWINS IN A STRONG CA VAN FIELD
Cavan Stages Rally By Martin Walsh Organiser: Cavan MC When: May 27 Where: Cavan, County Cavan Championships: Irish National Rally Championship; Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship Stages: 9 Starters: 112
Josh Moffett and co-driver Keith Moriarty became the third different winners in as many rounds of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship when they netted a start-to-finish victory on the Cavan Rally, aboard their Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
With a controlled drive they finished 34.6 seconds ahead of the Fiesta RS WRC of Donegal’s Declan Boyle and co-driver James O’reilly. Armagh’s Darren Gass (Subaru WRC) and Enda Sherry were 46.4 seconds further behind in third.
Moffett got off to a perfect start and eked out a 5.6-second advantage over Boyle on Lough Gowna, where Roy White was another 5.4 seconds behind in third. Garry Jennings (Subaru) occupied fourth, 11.4 seconds further adrift, followed by the Mini WRC of Joe Mcgonigle and multiple national champion Peadar Hurson (Fiesta WRC).
Unfortunately, times for the second stage were canned as the clocks weren’t synchronised. Undeterred by a small spin, Moffett punched in the fastest time on the third stage to move 8.8 seconds ahead of Boyle, who admitted he had already settled for second and wasn’t prepared to risk damaging the car so close to the Donegal showdown.
White also spun on SS3 and was 10.6 seconds further behind while Jennings opined that the tight nature of the stages didn’t suit his Subaru Impreza S12B WRC.
With no read out available in the cockpit of his Fiesta WRC, Hurson was far from content, within two stages a broken rear differential ended his participation.
Interestingly, Donagh Kelly (ninth) took time to adjust to his hired Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
On SS4 Boyle trimmed a second off the deficit but that was as close as it got, indeed, he slipped to third with a frontright puncture on SS6 where White had the best time to move into second – 24.1 seconds behind Moffett, who subsequently eased off on the final loop to claim the spoils. White’s bid for second place was undone by a left-rear puncture on SS7. He dropped to 18th before finishing up in 12th.
Boyle netted an extra point from the powerstage to claim 19 Irish National points – just one less than rally winner Moffett.
An untroubled Gass, who was on a Donegal shakedown, brought the Mckinstry-hired Subaru home in third place followed by Mcgonigle, who was off the road for over 20 seconds on SS5. Kelly and Jennings completed the top six.
Two-wheel-drive winner Stuart Darcy fended off the challenge of local hero Gary Kiernan (Ford Escort Mk2), who suffered a puncture during the middle loop.
Ryan Loughran (Escort) overcame transmission glitches to finish ninth and Kevin Barrett netted 10th just before his Subaru ran out of fuel at the finishing enclosure.
On his debut in a Mitsubishi Lancer E10 and sampling left-hand drive for the first time, Down’s Cathan Mccourt won Group N after early leader Aidan Wray (Mitsubishi) retired with a damaged