Donegal Mini Stage Rally falls victim to the weather

THE DONEGAL Mini Stage Rally in Glenties fell victim to the weather conditions despite the heroic work of the organisers who salted the roads over which the event was to traverse.

Following a drivers briefing on Saturday morning, the crews were allowed what one of the organisers described as a “sighting run” over the two special stages. However, it was agreed that it was unwise to continue and the event was cancelled. Aside from the stages involved, the condition of the routes of the emergency services gave further concern and the club had no option only to cancel the event. The Donegal organisers are scheduled to discuss the situation with Motorsport Ireland today with a view to making a refund of most of the entry fee to the competitors involved.

Meanwhile, Brian Armstrong (Escort) won the Gullion Rally in Newry where he finished 30 seconds ahead of the Escort of Michael Conlon, Alan Nesbitt, also in a Ford Escort, who was third. The event was dominated by Neil McCance (Mitsubishi), who built up a 57 second advantage courtesy of fastest times on all six stages prior to his exit on the penultimate test.