National crews face new challenge in Ravens Rock Rally
Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty head the National Rally Championship’s latest impressive entry list for Sunday’s Ravens Rock Rally. The Hyundai i20 R5 pairing will be hoping to seize a crucial advantage in their championship defence as rivals Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan skip the series’ fourth round.
2018 Ravens Rock winner Daniel Cronin is seeded behind Moffett in his Volkswagen Polo R5. Cronin finished 11th and seventh on his two National Rally appearances this year – he’ll be hoping for a stronger finish this weekend.
Declan Boyle, David Guest, and Seamus Leonard complete the top five entries with 2010 National Champion Melvyn Evans making a welcome return to the series in his Polo R5.
As usual, the two-wheel-drive battle will be intense over the nine stages. James Stafford will be hard to catch in his Darrian T90. The Wexford man is seeded 14th, one place ahead of Eddie Doherty who has been in fine form this year winning in Laois at the start of June.
Rob Duggan is back in his Ford Escort Mk2 along with fellow Kerry hard-charger Colin O’Donoghue who is seeded 21st in his BMW M3. Chris Armstrong and Frank Kelly continue their National Championship campaigns in more show-stopping Class 14 Escorts.
Ravens Rock’s historic battle will be one to watch with reigning Historic Irish Tarmac Champions Neil Williams and Anthony O’Sullivan making the visit. They’ll renew friendly rivalries with leading historic competitors like Luke McCarthy and Adrian Evans.
A healthy contingent of Welsh crews joins the historic fight including Tomas Davies, Philip Rogers, and Gwyndaf Evans.
World Rally Championship presenter Michael Chen is a special entry in a Skoda Fabia S2500. He is competing alongside Sean Hassett in memory of their close friend and Ravens Rock hero Craig Breen.
Two of Ravens Rocks’ stages haven’t been used since 2007 while the other will be rallied in anger for the very first time. Onthepacenote’s Killian Duffy gives his take on what the crews will face on Sunday:
Ardbeg (7.44 km), SS1/4/7
A really twisty opener to Ravens Rocks’ first event since 2019. It looks like Sunday is going to be dry but if it is wet, this is going to be a lethal test for the crews.
A glare of muck sits on the road surface from start to finish through the seven-kilometre stage. On paper, Ardbeg looks like a short start to each loop but it is tight, narrow, and will have a slow-speed nature making a tricky opener.
The unique character of Ardbeg could throw us a few surprises at the end of the stage – who is going to be best suited to this type of stage?
Curraghmore (12.97 km), SS2/5/8
In general, Curraghmore’s road surface will provide more grip than Ardbeg. A few of the corners appear quite suddenly which is always something to look out for. There are some really fast sections as well.
One challenge with this stage is how overgrown the verges are. The corners probably aren’t as tight as the pacenotes make them because of how overgrown it is on recce. Any local knowledge could be invaluable here.
Ballydaw (14.80 km), SS3/6/9
Ballydaw starts off fast before moving into a twisty section. There is a short part of the stage that is littered with gravel and again there are a few corners that will lure crews into making a mistake.
It is a stage that has time in it, something that we always like to have for extra interest heading into the rally’s finale.
Photos by Gavin Woods
