A long-awaited ‘Wray’ of sunshine for Clady’s Aidan

IT’S been a lifetime in the making but Aidan Wray finally claimed his first overall victory when finishing top of the timesheets at the Loughgall Stages Rally.

Co-driven by Dunamanagh’s Peter Ward, the Clady car salesman produced a consistent performance that saw him move from fifth to second before he claimed the lead from Eddie Doherty at the end of stage five, holding on to first place over the final two tests to seal victory by almost six and a half seconds in his Rally2 Volkswagen Polo Gti.

Victory has been long overdue for the Tyrone man, who first took up the sport in his early teenage years, coming through the Rallysport Association ranks before showing his prowess on closed roads events. He’s been a regular top five finisher in recent season, but the move onto the podium, particularly the top step, always appeared just out of reach.

That was until Saturday when not only was his performance on the mark, but he also enjoyed the rub of the green that aided his quest for a victory that he will long savour.

“It went well,” he beamed. “We’re happy with that result because it’s been a wild long wait! I wondered if it was ever going to come.

“I’ve been rallying a long time. I started in junior rallying probably when I was at the start of my teens and I now have two cubs [sons] who are rallying now! “

With so much at stake for Wray and Ward over the closing stages of Saturday’s event, it would have been understandable for nerves to kick in, but the Clady man’s experience came into play during the last two tests.

“It was about keeping it nice and tidy, particularly on the last stage in the park because we knew [Doherty] would be pushing hard and he is going very well at the minute.

“He was keeping the pressure on but it was good [to see it out],” he explained.

“It felt brilliant when we crossed the finish line, I was over the moon. I was over the moon to get it because I’ve put in a lot of effort and work to it all, spending a lot of time on it.

“You just hope it’s going to come together some day and you keep going and thankfully it did on Saturday.”

Wray and Ward weren’t the only Tyrone men in action at Loughgall. Victoria Bridge driver, Jason Mitchell and co-driver Paddy McCrudden, who were late entries in another Volkswagen Polo finished third in class and fifth overall behind third placed Aaron McLaughlin, who missed out on a hat-trick of event wins, and fourth placed Jason Black.

Ardboe’s Kevin Quinn and co-driver Christopher Corr, from Dungannon, were also in action in their MkII Ford Escort, finishing 10th in class six and 18th overall, while Aughnacloy’s Cathal Mulgrew and Aiden McCormack in another Escort, were 11th in class and 21st overall.

Dungannon’s Richard O’Loane enjoyed another successful run in his Rally3 Ford Fiesta, finishing 24th overall and first in class nine alongside Cookstown co-driver James Turkington, while Stephen McGurk and Mark O’Connor finished 36th overall in another Escort.

Cookstown’s Owen Mallon and Shaun Scullion, meanwhile, took 44th overall, one place behind Anthony Quinn’s Ford Fiesta ST, co-driven by Drumnakilly’s Ryan McAleer, while Seskinore’s Gareth Deazley and Donaghmore’s Adrian Hetherington, in his new Fiat 131 Arbarth had to retire prematurely from the event.