By 
PAUL Barrett and Gordon Noble concluded their six year search for a finish at the five-day Roger Albert Clark Rally on a high when they reached the final stage end second overall behind Oisan Pryce and Dale Furniss.
Clanabogan’s Barrett and Omagh co-driver Noble have endured bad luck during their previous three outings at the biennial event, failing to finish in 2019, 2021 and 2023, but with a Mk II Ford Escort built and prepared over the last 18 months and serviced during the event by Paul’s family and friends, they found a formula for success in 2025.
Over the course of the five days and more than 300 stage miles, Barrett and Noble, who were joined on the start line by fellow local crews, Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill and co-driver Andrew Grennan; Aughnacloy’s Bryan Jardine and Dungannon’s Declan Campbell; Donaghmore’s Adrian Hetherington and Moy’s Ronan O’Neill and Omagh-based navigator, Martin Brady, who was on the notes for Kyle Tilley, they overcame snow, ice, rain, fog, darkness and tiredness to earn not only their first RAC Rally finish, but a coveted place on the podium, much to their delight.
“There’s a satisfaction that’s kind of rewarding. It’s been six years of effort and every year we went we learned something more to put back into practice and this has been the culmination of that,” Noble explained.
“It’s a pleasantly satisfying feeling [to finish] and there’s a bit of elation to not only finish and get to the end but to get on the podium.”
During the event, Barrett and Noble showed some incredible pace, particularly in the slippy conditions when some struggled to find grip. They had overhauled Pryce at one stage, but it was the fog that cost them a tilt at the overall victory as the Welshman showed speed in limited visibility that none could match.
“We were really delighted [to finish second] because there is a competitive element in all of us and you would like to achieve more and the fact that we led for a while makes it feel like you’re a bit closer [to victory].
“But we have to be realistic and realise that Osian was always going to be quicker than us – he’s a professional driver, that’s what he does for a living, so it’s hard to keep up with him when it became foggy and difficult,” Noble added.
“We had some really difficult conditions, particularly when the road gets polished ice and it’s dark. Those are the most treacherous conditions, particularly when it’s patchy, so it was managing that and I have to say Paul did that very well and we got a jump on quite a few people during those conditions.
“That was a positive that we could manage that scenario but what we didn’t manage was the fog – I don’t know how or why – but on Saturday night the fog was bad and while we survived and our times were good, in terms of chasing Osian, we weren’t able to cope with his pace or take the risk to go at the pace he was going.
“But it’s one of those things, people dream for many years to just start that rally, let alone finishing it and getting on the podium, so it’s a fantastic result.”
Meanwhile, Hamill, who was battling the flu as well as the conditions, enjoyed a super five-days on the stages in Wales, Scotland and England, finishing 14th overall in their Mk II Ford Escort.
“We are happy because it was a very tough weekend,” Hamill beamed. “It was very challenging but we got to the end.
“It was so tricky with the ice and fog and at night, to find any kind of grip on the stages was tricky, but the car never missed a beat and we were happy with that. We kept it clean and got it home, so I was really happy.”
Primarily a four-wheel-drive competitor behind the wheel of a Rally2 Ford Fiesta, Hamill admits such is the pace at the RAC now, that he feels he’s going to have to spend more preparation time in his Escort ahead of any future attempts at the event.
“2027 is a long time away, but why not!,” he said when asked if he was going to give the RAC another go in two years time. “With me, we drive four-wheel-drive, so we just jump in the car and turn up but I think the pace has moved on at that rally. People are putting so much effort and preparation into it, so I think we’ll have to do that as well and get out doing a few rallies ahead of the event to get up to speed more.”
Jardine and Campbell also sealed a top 20 finish, crossing the finish line on Monday in 19th position, which was quite the result given their struggles early in the event when they were down in 46th place at one stage on the first day.
“The first couple of days, you could get demoralised very quick by the whole thing, but you know you have to keep the head up and keep going,” Jardine acknowledged.
“For some reason I seemed to struggle a lot more than anyone else with the ice and the frost. We slid off on the first stage within a few corners and I don’t know if that knocked me or what happened, but I just couldn’t get going.
“Fortunately we didn’t lose any time, I just hit first gear and out she came. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were but it made me a bit wary.
“But we did enjoy it [overall] and we’re very pleased and thankful because Dad [Alan] did it six years ago, so we’ve done it three times and completed it three times, so we’re very happy because it’s a family organised thing. Dad went and built that car so it’s nice to bring the whole thing together and bring it home with a result too at the same time.”
Brady and Tilley, meanwhile, suffered a mechanical issue and were forced to retire on stage 26 of 35. Galway native Brady and his Indianapolis-based driver, who is a former winner of the 24 hours of Daytona and who has competed for Ford in NASCAR, came together fairly late in the day to tackle an event like the RAC, but they thoroughly enjoyed their time on the stages while it lasted
“We rally together when he has time in the off season,” Brady explained. “The car we were in is a brand new Ford Escort historic built in Antrim. I found it for him a few weeks ago he bought it right away and we made a hasty plan to do the rally, so it has been an adventure even before the start!”
Hetherington and O’Neill also suffered issues during the event, crossing the line 97th overall under super rally rules in the end following an issue on stage 14.
