Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan edge home

Donagh Kelly and co-driver Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) took a strong victory in the Dooley’s Hotel Raven’s Rock Rally in Waterford, round five of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The Donegal/Derry duo were fastest on all nine stages to claim a victory that puts them within one event of winning the national title.

Yesterday, they finished a minute and 13.9 seconds in front of the S11 Subaru WRC of Welsh driver Mel Evans and co-driver Mark Glennerster. The Kerry/Cork combination of Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (S12B Subaru WRC) were 22.8 seconds further behind in third.

The Motorsport Safety Group N category was won by Neil Tohill/Gerard Tohill (Mitsubishi) and Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet) won the Modified section and were seventh in general classification.

Former national champion Peadar Hurson was the first retirementwhen it was discovered that the fuel tank in his Subaru WRC had sprung a leak.

No such worries for Kelly and although Evans was only 3.7 seconds off his rival on the opening stage, the margins thereafter continued to grow. By the completion of the first loop Kelly led by 30.1 seconds.

London-based north Cork driver Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) showed a fine pace and occupied third.

There were some casualties – championship sponsor Kevin Barrett put his S14 Subaru on its side on S.S. 3, a number of crews came to the aid of the Maynooth driver and his Limerick co-driver Sean Mullally.

Third-placed O’Brien smashed the right hand window of his Ford Focus WRC when he struck a chicane bale that was subsequently clattered by the Fiesta R5 of Welsh ace James Belton.

Meanwhile, Roy White (MG ZR) occupied fifth followed by Donegal’s Declan Gallagher (Toyota Starlet), who led the two-wheel drive contingent. Niall Maguire on his debut in the ex-Boyle S12B Subaru WRC held seventh, fumes in the cockpit of the car on the second stage after a pipe came adrift were most uncomfortable. The remaining places in the top ten were taken by Martin Donnelly (Toyota Corolla WRC), Graham Scallon (Mitsubishi) and Jack Newman (Escort). On the second loop Kelly stretched his lead over Evans to 52.6 seconds and although Ring, who had edged ahead of O’Brien, clipped the rear of his Subaru, he remained in third – 12.7 seconds behind Evans. O’Brien, Maguire and White completed the top six.

In the Modified category Declan Gallagher (Toyota Starlet) led the Escort of Jack Newman by 34.3 seconds. Wexford’s Graham Scallon crashed his Mitsubishi out of the rally on S.S. 5 while Group N pacesetter David Guest (Mitsubishi) broke a drive off the start line leaving Paul Barrett (Subaru) heading the showroom category. Kelly sealed the win on the closing loop.

Waterford’s Craig Breen lost the opportunity to stretch his lead in the European Rally Championship when his Peugeot Academy 208 T16 stopped with engine woes after he finished the 12th stage of Rally Ypres in Belgium. Derry’s Marty McCormack (Skoda Fabia S2000) was ninth overall. Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta RRC) crashed heavily on the final stage, his brother Sam (Ford Fiesta RRC) also failed to finish. The rally was won by local hero Freddy Loix (Skoda Fabia R5) — he finished 27.5 seconds ahead of the Citroen DS3R5 of French driver Bryan Bouffier.