Roy White closes in on Triton Showers National Rally Championship

The GAA stadia are not the only places where Tipperary are illustrating their sporting prowess this season. Success for the Premier county natives has also transcended the highways and byways of Ireland and one is on the cusp on landing Irish rallying’s National title.

Clonmel native Roy White is just one significant result away from claiming the Triton Showers National Rally Championship and the magnificent Vard Memorial Trophy and joining fellow south Tipperary drivers – Donie Keating (brother of another sporting hero, Michael “Babs”) and the late Frank Meagher as a national rally champion.

The sixth and latest round swings into Clonmel on Sunday via the Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally. White and his Cork co-driver James O’Brien in their Fesp/Arbelos liveried Ford Fiesta WRC have been the most consistent performers in this year’s series. They have scored in all the previous five rounds and with the best six to count, they need to annex twenty-one points from Sunday’s encounter to land the title - irrespective of what their rivals can achieve. The fact that he is on home territory isn’t really the issue for White. “I would like to say that I am looking at this rally as just another event, but I can’t really. It is on my mind that we can win the championship and it would be great to wrap it up in Clonmel but it’s going to be difficult. We still have a lot of points to get and it’s a very strong entry.” Ironically, White has yet to win a round of the Triton campaign although he has taken maximum points in Cavan and Carlow where the event winners did not resister for the series. “For sure, that is something that has been on my mind. Yes, we have been close but not close enough. I am not going with the view that we have to win at all costs, I am happy with my pace, we are making changes with the car all the time, we analyse what happens after each rally and see where we can improve both the car and myself. I will go as hard as I can, I need a good result to get the points.” Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Fiesta R5) is the top seed courtesy of wining the rally last year, he will use the nine-stage rally as a shakedown for the Ulster Rally in two weeks time.