Derry duo Henry and Devine hit the front in Circuit of Ireland

Nervy moments over jumps but Henry's Ford Fiesta leads the way with Monaghan's Josh Moffet in third

Hang time: Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 on SS3 Orra Lodge in the Circuit of Ireland Rally Round 3 2022 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in Cushendun Co Antrim. Photo: Philip Fitzpatrick/Sportsfile

It wasn’t until the penultimate stage of the opening leg of the Wastewater Solutions Circuit of Ireland Rally that margins increased between the leading contenders to any degree of significance. But overnight, Derry’s Desi Henry (Ford Fiesta R5) leads the VW Polo GTi R5 of his fellow Derryman Callum Devine by 11.8 seconds with Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Hyundai i20 R5) a further 5.6 seconds behind in third.

Henry was quickest on the opening stage that finished near Cushenden on the Antrim coast and even though he had a nervy moment over one of the many jumps, his time was 3.7 seconds quicker than fellow Derry ace Callum Devine, who was debuting a VW Polo GTi R5.