Roy White determined to shine in championship opener

A new season of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship begins with the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally on Sunday.

Clonmel’s Roy White (Ford Fiesta WRC) is the top seed, having won the event last year when it wasn’t a counting round of the national series.

Incredibly, despite winning the overall title in 2016, he has yet to win an actual round of the Triton series.

White’s first major rally victory came in Nenagh last year, when he beat former Triton champions Declan Boyle and Donagh Kelly. Last October at the Cork “20” International Rally, White netted his first International rally win. But he desperately wants to end his national event hoodoo.

“It’s a situation I would like to redress. The opposition is strong again, especially with Declan (Boyle) and Josh (Moffett). With the championship based on the best seven from eight rounds, a strong haul of points is essential, but a win would be a great start.”

Reigning and three-time champion Declan Boyle, in his revamped Ford Fiesta WRC, is seeking a fourth title. Two weeks ago he debuted a Fiesta R5 at the Galway International Rally but for the national series, he reverts to the more powerful World Car. He is also reunited with his co-driving cousin Brian Boyle, who took a sabbatical last season. The Donegal man almost threw the series away last year as he crashed out of a strong lead in the Sligo Rally. With only one dropped score this year, the margin for error is extremely tight and strong finishes will be the order of the day. As for a fourth championship win he said: “Yes that’s the one, it would be class to win it four times alright, so we have to put the effort in to see if we can do it. You have to go flat out to take the slowest of them (his rivals).”

The Triton Showers series is the only major Irish series that, so far, has eluded Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC). Last year he skipped one round and, like Boyle, crashed in Sligo but he was still in the equation entering the final round. With action in last week’s opening round of the British Rally Championship along with the recent Galway Rally, seat time will be an advantage in his bid to add the Vard Memorial Trophy to his cabinet.

Meanwhile, his older brother Sam will use the Ford Fiesta R5 he drove to victory in last year’s final round of the national series in Donegal. How he fares against the more powerful World Cars over Sunday’s nine stages will be watched closely, as will his battle with the Skoda Fabia R5 of Scotland’s David Bogie; both are in shakedown mode for the West Cork Rally.

Former champion Warrenpoint’s Peadar Hurson (Ford Fiesta WRC) is well capable of taking the spoils while the likes of Joe McGonigle (Mini WRC) and the Subaru WRC trio of Niall Maguire, Kevin Barrett and Steve Wood will be ready to take advantage of any slip-ups. The first stage starts at 10am.

Elsewhere, the McGrady Insurance Motorsport Northern Ireland Rally Championship gets underway tomorrow in Kirkistown with the Pacenotes Rally Magazine event.