MacHale wins Mayo rally

Reigning Dunlop National Rally Champions, Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Ford Focus WRC) have won the Castlebar based TF Royal Hotel & Theatre Mayo Rally, the opening round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

They finished seven seconds ahead of former champions, Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Subaru WRC) with Tim McNulty/Eugene O’Donnell (Subaru WRC) finishing a further 21 seconds behind in third. MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) set the pace on the first stage and duly extricated an 18 second lead over PJ McDermott (Subaru WRC) with Seamus Leonard, also in a Subaru, a further three seconds behind.

MacHale’s progress through the slippery stage included an altercation with a chicane bale that ripped the front spoiler from his Focus. Meanwhile, Tim McNulty had a massive overshoot and also had cosmetic damage while Patrick Elliott had two overshoots. Group N contender, Kevin Kelleher crashed his Mitsubishi. Leonard retired with differential trouble while McDermott beached his Subaru on the third stage. Kevin Barrett and Willie Fannin also retired.

Mid way through the eight stage rally, MacHale led Maguire by ten seconds, Maguire, a triple national champion, showed great pace.

McNulty, who was trying various options with the suspension system, held third – some 34 seconds behind. Elliott, Stephen Moore (Ford Focus WRC) and Glen Allen filled the remaining places in the top six.

Elsewhere, Noel Redmond, in seventh, admitted he was well off the pace. Maguire trimmed MacHale’s advantage to five seconds after the completion of stages five and six, McNulty was some 22 seconds further behind. On the final two stages, the top duo traded times as MacHale emerged victorious by a seven second margin.

1. A. MacHale/K. Duffy (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 08m. 54s.

2. N. Maguire/P. McLaughlin (Subaru WRC) 1h. 09m. 01s.

3. T. McNulty/E. O’Donnell (Subaru WRC) 1h. 09m. 22s.

4. P. Elliott/P. Goodman (Subaru WRC) 1h. 10m. 34s.

5. S. Moore/T. McHugh (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 11m. 48s.

6. G. Allen/D. Connolly (Toyota Corolla WRC) 1h. 11m. 59s.

7. N. Redmond/D. Brannigan (Subaru WRC) 1h. 12m. 52s.

8. R. Wilton/C. McMahon (Ford Escort) 1h. 13m. 26s.

9. C. Bradley/D. O’Neill (Escort)1h. 13m. 59s.