Having narrowly missed out on winning the Triton National Rally Championship last year Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) can clinch the title and the Vard Memorial Trophy on Sunday’s penultimate round, the Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally in Gort.

Martin Walsh Motorsport

Success in the Donegal International Rally, which begins in Letterkenny today, is closer to an obsession than an aspiration for a select group of drivers.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Foley pulled out all the stops to deny the Monaghan/Wexford duo of Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes victory in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Rally, round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

With two wins from two rounds, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett is on home territory for Sunday’s Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Rally, round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship as he aims to increase his lead over his main title rivals Declan Boyle and Roy White.

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) and his Wexford co-driver Andy Hayes took a start to finish victory in a round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

In front of one of the biggest crowds of spectators in recent times, Waterford’s Craig Breen and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle took their Ford Fiesta R5 to victory in the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

A last-second Hannah Matthews strike saw Cork Harlequins leave Grange Road with their hearts broken, and helped move Loreto back to the top of the women’s EY Hockey League.

Armagh’s James Wilson, 24, and Belfast’s Charlie Eastwood, 23, scooped the major honours at the Beta Tools Motorsport Ireland Awards yesterday.

In trying circumstances Donegal’s Declan Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) captured the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with his eighth place finish on the Ballybofey based Jackson’s Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally.

As the curtain falls on the already decided Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship in tomorrow’s McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally in Omagh, the outcome of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship could also draw to a close should series leader Derek McGarrity (Ford Focus WRC) secure a top four finish.

Although Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) won the Clare Rally, the penultimate round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, he faces an uphill battle to win the series after his main rival Donegal’s Declan Boyle, co-driven by James O’Reilly came home in fifth.

Having spurned a chance to tighten his grip on the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, Donegal’s Declan Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) faces title rival Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) on Sunday’s Charlie McEnery Motor Services Clare Rally, the penultimate round of the series.

Josh Moffett’s victory in the Enniskillen Trailer Parts & Spares Lakeland Rally that saw him clinch the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, was mired in controversy after he was excluded from the results; but after two appeals and a stewards’ meeting the decision was overturned and he was re-instated as rally winner some five hours later.

A resumption of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship after 11 weeks and the return of the Stonethrowers Rally after a two-year absence dovetail on Sunday in the Clonmel event.

Monaghan native Barry McKenna (Ford Fiesta R5), who co-driven by Leon Jordan, jetted in from his New York base and claimed victory in the Crafted Fitted Furniture Cork Forest Rally that was based in Mallow and counted as two rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

For the third successive year, the Donegal crew of Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett in their Applegreen backed Subaru WRC took victory in the Letterkenny based Joule Donegal International Rally. 

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and his Limerick co-driver Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta WRC) claimed the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally yesterday.

Taking the lead three stages from the finish, Donegal’s Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett (Subaru WRC) went on to win the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in a sun drenched Killarney yesterday.

Tarmac champion Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta R5) heads the entry for the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakesthat begins from Killarney tomorrow morning.

The Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Rally ended in dramatic fashion as the Donegal/Monaghan pairing of Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley guided their KN Group liveried Ford Focus WRC to a final stage victory to deny long time leaders, the Monaghan/Cork duo of Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5).

Cork driver and four-time British Rally Champion Keith Cronin will campaign the new generation Hyundai i20 R5-N in this year’s British Rally Championship that includes rounds of the World Rally Championship (Wales Rally GB) and the European Rally Championship (Rally Ypres).

Although four crews were within a two-second time frame after the opening stage of the Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Forest Rally in Ballyvourney, (round three of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship), all changed a stage later as Derry’s Marty McCormack and his Mallow co-driver David Moynihan powered their Tiger Risk Partners Skoda Fabia R5 into a 28.9 second lead which laid the foundation for overall victory.

The upsurge in Irish Forest rallying continues as over 80 crews line up for tomorrow’s Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney.

After a dramatic opening on the final leg of the Easter Rally in Antrim, when the Subaru WRC of overnight leaders Derek McGarrity/Paddy Robinson failed to start after transmission troubles, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta R5) and his Wexford co-driver Andy Hayes took the spoils and consolidated their lead in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Taking the lead on the sixth stage, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta R5) and co-driver Stephen Thornton won the Silvermines-based Treaty Plant Hire Limerick Forest Rally, the second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

Leading from the start Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) swept to a fifth successive victory in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally. Co-driven by Monaghan’s Conor Foley they finished 45.8 seconds clear of Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and co-driver Andy Hayes with Irish Tarmac champions Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and Cork’s Karl Atkinson (Fiesta R5) in third.

Donegal’s Declan Boyle and his Monaghan co-driver James O’Reilly made the perfect start to this year’s Triton Showers National Rally Championship with victory in the Achill Island-based Óstán Oileán Acla/Connacht Print & Signs Mayo Rally.

One of the most scenic locations in the country, Achill Island, provides the backdrop for the opening round of the Triton Showers Rally Championship on Sunday.

Despite the increasing popularity of rallysprints organised throughout the country by the Rallysport Association, the chief executive of Motorsport Ireland, Alex Sinclair, admitted they have no plans to counteract a development which is causing concern amongst MI affiliated clubs.

Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Fiesta R5) and his Bandon co-driver Karl Atkinson won the Acesigns Cork “20” International Rally following a pulsating battle with Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty (Fiesta R5).

Sam Moffett will create Irish motorsport history once he checks in at the first control of this weekend’s Acesigns Cork “20” International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship

Another Moffett win, but, this time, it was the younger sibling, Josh: he won the Enniskillen-based Trailer Parts and Spares Lakeland Forest Rally, the penultimate round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship and a round of the Northern Ireland Rally series.

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett returns to European Rally Championship action this weekend when he contests the Junior U28 category of Rally Rzeszow in Poland.

With his sixth victory of the season Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (27) clinched the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a comfortable victory in the FAAC Simply Automatic/Sligo Park Hotel Rally.

Defending champions Donegal’s Manus Kelly (Subaru WRC) co-driven by Donall Barrett took back-to-back wins on an exciting Joule Donegal International Rally. 

The first day of the Joule Donegal International Rally in Letterkenny was a battle of the Kellys — Frosses driver Donagh Kelly and Letterkenny’s Manus Kelly — while Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings remains very much in touch.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly has won numerous Irish rallies some of which culminated in National and Tarmac Championship titles — one of three drivers to win both in the same season. Yet, the one rally that has eluded him is, ironically, the Joule Donegal International Rally.

Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) strengthened his grip on the Triton Showers National Rally Championship when claiming the Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally, round four of the campaign.

The Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster on Sunday marks the halfway point of the eight round Triton Showers National Rally Championship. However, it also contains several subplots including preparation for the next rounds of the British and Irish Tarmac Championships and also forms part of the Top Part West Coast regional series.

Not surprisingly, Derry’s Marty McCormack and his Mallow co-driver David Moynihan in their Tiger Risk liveried Skoda Fabia R5 ran out comfortable winners of the Donegal Forest Rally, round three of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

The Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship is likely to have a new leader after tomorrow’s Abbey Hotel Donegal Forest Rally, the third round of the campaign as series leader and former champion Josh Moffett has withdrawn his entry due to business commitments.

This weekend is likely to be a defining moment in the annals of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. A glance through the list of previous winners reveal that drivers of World Rally Cars have triumphed since the Millennium, but that thread is tenuous as the new breed of R5 cars is set to bring the sequence to an end.

Although the Triton Showers National Rally Championship hasn’t reached the halfway mark, Monaghan’s Sam Moffett is showing real championship form.