Local crews impress during tough Galway curtain-raiser

GARRY Jennings and Rory Kennedy were the top local crew during the Galway International Rally, which was the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

The event was won overall by Monaghan’s Josh Moffett, who finished ahead of hard-charging Welshman, Meirion Evans, with Feeney’s Callum Devine and his Fermanagh co-driver, Brian Hoy in third overall.

In a right hand drive R5 Ford Fiesta, Kesh man Jennings produced a solid performance behind the wheel in atrocious conditions that caused more than a few retirements. Jennings and Kennedy arrived home with an impressive fourth place finish under their belts and the class 24 crown, to relegate Dromore’s Cathan McCourt and co-driver Liam Moynihan to fifth overall but they did have the consolation of taking the RC2 class title despite suffering a double puncture on stage 13.

Number one seeds Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble, meanwhile, had to settle for seventh overall after a testing return to the action. Their podium charge was derailed on Sunday with a steamed up windscreen and when he locked up going into a greasy right hand corner, hitting a solid bank, puncturing a tyre that was essentially game over.
\

Daniel Cronin, was sixth, while David Kelly, Enda O’Brien, and Paul Barrett completed the overall top 10.

Beyond the top 10, Clady’s Aidan Wray and co-driver Niall Burns finished 15th overall in their R5 Ford Fiesta, while Strabane’s Ryan Caldwell enjoyed a stunning Galway International debut in his Rallly4 Ford Fiesta beside Cork co-driver, Grace O’Brien in 16th overall and first in class RC4.

Ballygawley duo, Damien Toner and Denver Rafferty finished third in the National event, behind winner Gary Kiernan and runner-up Jason Black, while Pettigo’s Corey Eves and his Omagh co-driver, Pascal McCarney came home 12th and first in class 11 R in their Toyota Corrolla.

While there was relative joy from the crews above finishing the event, there was plenty of local woe too with Victoria Bridge’s Jason Mitchell and co-driver Paddy McCrudden having to retire after just one stage due to engine issues.

They were soon followed out of the event by Pettigo’s Kevin Eves and Chris Melly, who slid their Toyota Corrolla AE86 off the road on stage five.

Drumquin’s Jason Dickson was, like Eves, enjoying a good run until the fifth stage when he too was forced out of the action.