Moffett rises to top on day one of captivating Galway Rally
After months of pre-season anticipation, the opening day of Irish rallying in 2023 has lived up to any outlandish expectations.
Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes finished Galway International Rally’s opening day with a hard-fought 7.8-second lead. Cathan McCourt and Liam Moynihan ended Saturday as their nearest rivals but it has been a day full of different leaders, eye-catching stage times, mistakes, and moments.
A shortened Coldwood test opened the action just after sunrise on Saturday morning. Unusually clear skies greeted the crews as they embarked on Galway’s first of 15 stages.
Many expected Moffett to start 2023 as he finished ‘22 and it was a Moffett who went fastest through stage one, but it wasn’t Josh.
Sam Moffett was quickest out of the blocks on his first asphalt stage in a Rally2 car since 2021. Surprised with his early pace, Moffett’s benchmark set the stage for a thrilling start to this year’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Five seconds separated the top seven crews after stage one. Number one seed, Josh Moffett found himself down in fifth but he didn’t look too worried as he explained his cautious start.
McCourt and Meirion Evans were within one second of Sam Moffett’s stage-winning time while Robert Barrable impressed on his Citroen C3 Rally2 debut with the fourth-fastest time.
Coldwood brought an early end to Jason Mitchell and Marty Toner’s international and modified hopes in Galway. Mitchell was able to return on stage seven, but Toner’s BMW was stranded after hitting a chicane.
Jonny Greer almost faced similar disappointment when his new Rally2 C3 stepped out under braking and slid into a bank. The County Down driver survived stage one with a few battle scars on his rear bumper.
Greer finished Galway’s opening day in sixth after struggling with a stiff set-up through the morning loop. The reigning Northern Ireland Rally Champion only received the car on Wednesday and is learning as he goes in Galway with the Citroen wearing several development parts.
A delay before stage two plunged Galway’s crews into the challenge of starting Skehanagh with cold brakes and tyres.
The roles were reversed in the Moffett household as Josh jumped from fifth to first and Sam fell from first to fifth after the 15-kilometre test.
The brothers are piloting different Hyundais in Galway, Josh in his trusty 2020-built i20 R5 and Sam in a brand-new Rally2 version. While Sam struggled for confidence in the cold conditions, Josh knew exactly where the limit was in his familiar R5.
3.2 seconds was Moffett’s stage-winning margin over Barrable who had nestled his Citroen into the top three. McCourt had a moment at the start of stage two, leaving him to second-guess his braking points with time ebbing away as he fell two places to fourth.
Garry Jennings and Arthur Keirans had an electrical scare after a strong showing on stage one. The border county duo repaired their Ford Fiesta R5’s wiring to set another solid time and stay in the top six by the end of Galway’s opening loop.
Stage three’s impromptu cancellation left everyone west of Loughrea wondering what Galway’s next twist could possibly be. Or maybe there wouldn’t be a twist…
Well, there was. And surprise, surprise, it was the weather.
An ill-timed rainshower caught the crews out as they left Galway International Rally’s Loughrea service area on inadequate tyres.
Unfortunately, Declan Boyle and Patrick Walsh didn’t even make it that far as a gearbox issue put their Volkswagen Polo R5 out of the rally.
Sam Moffett managed to repeat his earlier Coldwood stage win, jumping up to second, 2.7 seconds behind Josh. McCourt was the closest to matching Moffett through stage four, reaching Saturday’s halfway point tied for third with Evans.
The rain intensified on stage five and a section of shiny tarmac drew Josh Moffett into a rare mistake. Moffett’s i20 R5 overshot a junction, finishing Skehanagh with the addition of unwanted tape to his rear wing and the loss of his rally lead.
Josh lost eight seconds to Sam on stage five, who set his third fastest-time of the day and led the rally by 0.6 seconds from McCourt. A quietly consistent Evans was the last to inherit positions courtesy of Moffett’s error.
But Evans was soon set to shoot into the limelight.
Stage six was won by Evans and his co-driver Jonathan Jackson. The Welsh crew were 1.8 seconds faster than Josh Moffett who now held second after a series of rivals encountered problems on Eden Hill.
Once again, Sam Moffett struggled to commit in the wet conditions. He slipped three places to fourth. McCourt spun on stage six but still held onto a top three position. The Tyrone man endured a scary moment at the start of the previous test as well.
Differentiating deceptively treacherous corners from those that offered some grip proved to be Galway’s prime challenge on Saturday.
One junction, in particular, made its mark on the leading crews through Eden Hill.
Desi Henry was the first to “visit the cows” on a slippery stage six right-hander. Henry’s Ford Fiesta Rally2 unlocked the gate into the welcoming field which was set to receive more visitors over the subsequent minutes.
Patrick O’Brien, David Guest, and modified leader Mark Alcorn were amongst those to find Henry’s gap.
The same loop of three stages rounded out Galway International Rally’s opening day of action. This time, however, the crews were able to bolt on wet tyres to tackle the slippery roads.
Josh Moffett finished stage seven with three dangerous words.
“It felt good,” was his reply to end-of-stage interviewer Killian Duffy.
Sure enough, the 2022 Irish Tarmac Champions had found their mojo. A string of three fastest times built a 7.8-second lead over McCourt and Liam Moynihan who were about the only ones who could stay within reach of the rally leaders’ newfound wet pace.
Despite the strong stage times, Moffett’s late-afternoon assault wasn’t all smooth sailing. His Hyundai showed evidence of a brush with a bank on Saturday’s penultimate test. The damaged rear bumper had to be removed for stage nine as it was rubbing against the exhaust.
Sam Moffett, Meirion Evans, and Garry Jennings completed Galway’s top five after day one. Jennings’ performance was one of his best since moving to R5 rallying. A spin near the end of the day was the only blot on his day one copybook.
Killarney Rally of the Lakes winners, Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan, endured a tough day outside the top five. A fuel pressure misfire tormented their challenge and they face a challenge to secure any haul of Irish Tarmac points tomorrow.
One final mention goes to Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly. They had to stop their Citroen C3 Rally2 on stage eight after a small fire. They had been holding fifth overall, well in the hunt for a podium finish, when they retired.
Photos by Roger Dawson
