Five on the bounce: Toner does it again with victory in Ford Escort Mk2
Loughgall Country Park Rally
Organiser: North Armagh Motor Club When: July 6 Where: Loughgall Country Park, County Armagh Championships: NAMC Championship Stages: 6 Starters: 63.
Despite a fifth straight Loughgall victory in his Ford Escort Mk2 by a record-breaking 51.1 seconds, Damian Toner said the compact format event provides as tough a challenge as anywhere.
Fastest on the opening 3.5-mile stage by 7.1s, that was the closest John Bradley and Paul Mckenna would get to Toner and first-time winning co-driver, Ronan Comerford, after the winners recorded six stage victories.
At the half-time service the gap was 17.8s but Bradley fell further back in his Escort Mk2 – a popular choice of car with eight of the first 10 finishers running under the Ford brand.
Wesley Patterson and Johnny Baird jumped from fifth after SS3 to third – aided by Marty Toner’s retirement depositing oil – and pushing father and daughter pairing James and Rebecca Kennedy down to fourth. The Lisburn driver was only 2.3s behind Bradley for the runner-up spot.
Barry Morris was fifth, ahead of four-wheel-drive winner and Mitsubishi Lancer E9-mounted Joe Hegarty.
Results
1 Damian Toner/ronan Comerford (Ford Escort Mk2) 24m37s; 2 John Bradley/paul Mckenna (Escort Mk2)
+51s; 3 Wesley Patterson/johnny Baird (Escort Mk2); 4 James/rebecca Kennedy (Escort Mk2); 5 Barry Morris/ Declan Campbell (Escort Mk2); 6 Joe Hegarty/niall Magee (Mitsubishi Lancer E9); 7 Shane Cullen/mo Downey (Escort Mk2); 8 Mervyn Wedlock/podge Newe (Escort Mk2); 9 Adrian Hetherington/sean Owen Curry (Escort Mk2); 10 John Devlin/john Mccarthy (Talbot Sunbeam).
Class winners: Martin Collins/mikaela Woods (Honda Civic); Cecil Minford/ashley Boulton (Subaru Impreza); Ronan Greene/mark Mcaleer (Vauxhall Nova); Garth Neill/ William Neill (Peugeot 106 S1600); William Mcclurkin/sarah Bell (Escort Mk2); Bradley/mckenna; Toner/comerford; Hegarty/magee; Paul Gray/orlaith Gray (Escort Mk1).