Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely in their Esker Toyota Corolla secured back-to-back victories on the First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Pirelli Irish Championship.

Eugene Donnelly’s defence of his Irish Tarmac Champions crown has begun well and at the end of the first leg of the Galway International Rally his Toyota Corolla WRC is 26.5 seconds ahead of the Subaru WRC of Tim NcNulty with Eamonn Boland (Ford Focus) 39.8 seconds behind in third.

Mid-way through the opening leg of the Galway International Rally, defending champion, Eugene Donnelly in his Toyota Corolla WRC leads the Subaru WRC of Tim NcNulty by 2.6 seconds with Eamonn Boland in a Ford Focus a further 32.5 seconds adrift in third.

Back in competitive action following an eight-month absence, Armagh’s Andrew Nesbitt has lost none of his pace.

Eugene Donnelly and his co-driver, Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC) have won the Galway International Rally by a margin of 35.4 seconds from Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC).

Joint Irish Tarmac champion, Eugene Donnelly and his co-driver, Paul Kiely have regained the lead of the Galway International Rally on today’s eighth and final stage of the first leg.

Andrew Nesbitt’s victory in this afternoon’s Jim Clark Rally, the fourth counting round of the Toshiba

Andrew Nesbitt has won his fourth shell Donegal International Rally.

Even though part of the rear suspension system of his Subaru WRC collapsed on SS18, Andrew Nesbitt retains a significant advantage on the Shell Donegal International Rally.

Andrew Nesbitt and co-driver James O’Brien have a 58 second advantage over the Subaru

Andrew Nesbitt (Subaru WRC) continues to dominate the Shell Donegal International Rally.

On all but one of today’s six stages Andrew Nesbitt has dominated the time sheets and after he reeled in early leaders, Peadar Hurson and Eamonn Boland, he went on to accumulate an overnight advantage of 28 seconds over the similar Subaru WRC of Derek McGarrity with Eugene Donnelly, also in a Subaru, third – a further second behind.

Former national rally champions, Peadar Hurson and Ian Porter, in their Toyota Celica ST205, are the early leaders of the Cedar Hotel Wexford Rally.