MOFFETT/HAYES HOLD ON TO WIN
Galway Summer Rally Organisers: Galway Motor Club When: August 25 Where: Gort, Co Galway Championships: Irish National Rally Championship, Border Rally Championship, West Coast Rally Championship Stages: 9 Starters: 157
Josh Moffett and co-driver Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) duly won the Irish National Rally Championship courtesy of an emphatic victory in the Galway Summer Rally, the penultimate round of the series.
Moffett finished 37.2 seconds ahead of late entry Cathan Mccourt and co-driver Grace O’brien (Ford Fiesta R5) with
Ian Barrett and Paul Mcgee (Subaru Impreza WRC) 49.8s further adrift in third.
Moffett was virtually untouchable throughout and always had the measure of his opponents to take his sixth win from seven outings.
His only rival for the title, Roy White, bowed out from fourth after the opening stage with a broken transfer box on his Fiesta RS WRC.
Another early retirement was that of James Stafford, his early promise coming to nothing when he retired his Darrian T90 GTR with mechanical woes on SS2.
Gary Kiernan (Escort Mk2) won the two-wheel-drive category and finished fourth overall. Top seed Jonny Pringle hit a bank and retired his Escort Mk2 and Kevin Eves was a final-stage casualty when he slid his Corolla AE86 into a ditch. Hugh Hunter (Focus RS WRC05) gained a much-needed finish in fifth from an untroubled Niall Maguire (Impreza WRC) and Steve Wood (Fiesta RS WRC).
Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) won the Group N award and JF Shovelin netted the Escort Challenge Trophy. David Armstrong (Escort RS 1800) won the Historic category as Jack Brunton (Honda Civic) won Class 16 and Colin O’donoghue (Escort) was the victor in Class 16A.
Results
1 Josh Moffett/andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) 1h03m17.9s; 2 Cathan Mccourt/ Grace O’brien (Ford Fiesta R5) +37.2s; 3 Ian Barrett/ Paul Mcgee (Subaru Impreza WRC); 4 Gary Kiernan/ Ryan Moore (Ford
Escort Mk2); 5 Hugh Hunter/rob Fagg (Focus RS WRC05); 6 Niall Maguire/james O’reilly (Impreza
WRC); 7 Steve Wood/keith Moriarty (Fiesta RS WRC); 8 Shane Maguire/ Conor Foley (Mitsubishi Lancer E9); 9 Frank Kelly/sean Hayde (Escort Mk2); 10 JF Shovelin/ Emmet Brosnan (Escort Mk2).
Class winners: Keith Ewing/shane Barry (Honda
Civic); Jenna Mccann/john Mccabe (Fiesta R2);
Victor Farrell/ Garret Burke (Civic); Maguire/ Foley;
Cal Mccarthy/derek O’brien (Citroen DS 3 R5); Hunter/fagg; Lloyd Hutchinson/willie Fitzpatrick
(Austin Mini Cooper S); Peter/shane Farrell (Toyota Corolla AE86); Gary Mcnamee/ Brian Brady (Civic);
Paul Carron/sean Brunton (Corolla); Brian Armstrong/ Aodhan Gallagher (Escort Mk2); Cormac Phelan/ Katja Auhl (Civic); John Warren/ Ruthann O’connor (Corolla); Kiernan/ Moore; Ian Roche/anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC); Jack Brunton/ Darragh Kelly (Civic);
Colin O’donoghue/ Eddie Doherty (Escort); David Armstrong/podge Newe (Escort RS1800); James Hall/ Alan Hourigan (Audi Coupe quattro); Simon Chapman/ Peter Foy (Proton Millington).