Cronin edges closer to Tarmac title with convincing Ulster win
The Ulster Rally’s ten tight, technical, and testing stages demanded perfect car control, a cool head, and a brave right foot. They were three characteristics exhibited by Keith Cronin on his way to a 15.4-second victory in the south-east of Ulster.
Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin’s four stage wins were backed up with six second-fastest times as their Ford Fiesta Rally2 barely got out of shape in tricky Irish Tarmac conditions. Title protagonists Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan were after their third victory in a row but had to settle for second in the latest edition of this friendly rivalry.
The Cork-Kerry crew’s latest success extends their Irish Tarmac Rally Championship lead to 15 points. They will travel to September’s Cork 20 Rally knowing a runner-up finish would guarantee them championship honours.
After disappointments in Killarney and Donegal, it looked like Cronin would need a special performance to put his Irish Tarmac tilt back on track. The times from Ulster’s tough Shinn Bridge opener suggested likewise with eight-tenths of a second covering the top four crews.
Matt Edwards won a similarly technical Circuit of Ireland Rally earlier this year and he was fastest out of the blocks on stage one, 0.2 seconds up on Cronin.
Cronin sought out a neat and tidy approach in challenging Banbridge North conditions. The approach worked as he went fastest by 2.6 seconds to edge ahead of Edwards.
The Ulster Rally’s second test caught out two-time Tarmac Champion Josh Moffett. His Citroen C3 Rally managed to complete the test via a hedge and field. Lady luck was on his side as he survived without any damage but still dropped from third to fifth behind Callum Devine and James Ford.
The drama continued on Ulster’s next unforgiving test – Kilrea Hill. Matt Edwards’ early charge culminated close to the end of stage three. His Ford Fiesta Rally2 clipped a bank, breaking a rear wheel in the process. The early retirement would in effect end Edwards’ hopes of a maiden Irish Tarmac title.
Devine grabbed his first fastest time of the day on the same test, although he was concerned about the wear rate of his Skoda Fabia Rally2’s soft compound tyres. Rain had been expected on the Ulster Rally’s second loop of stages but it had failed to come to much.
The 30-year-old’s concern was valid. A short road section to the next stage denied him the chance to bolt on his two backup hard compound tyres. Devine could only manage the third-fastest time on Tyrone’s Ditches as Josh Moffett made it four different stage winners over the first four tests.
With one stage remaining in the Ulster’s second loop, Devine was able to bolt on his two hard tyres in a cross-pattern. He encountered one moment on Babylon Hill in his bid to disrupt Cronin’s early momentum.
Cronin only had soft tyres as spares but against all odds, he utilised the package to extend his lead by over ten seconds on the 14-kilometre test. Speaking volumes of Cronin’s gift of driving ability, the Fiesta pilot explained that he was taking the stage steady to manage his sub-optimal soft tyres.
Completing the top three at the Ulster Rally’s halfway point, James Ford was glad to make it back to service after a collision with a pole on stage three. Moffett was hunting him down for the Citroen C3 Rally2 Trophy prize but remained ten seconds shy after a time-sapping overshoot into a bank on Babylon Hill.
Ford strengthened his grip on third with a stage win on Shinn Bridge but his hopes of a maiden Irish Tarmac podium ended with driveshaft failure on the next Banbridge North test.
County Tyrone’s Jason Dickson had quietly moved into the top five, fighting back from a puncture on stage two. A nice battle with fourth-placed Eddie Doherty was on the cards until Dickson failed to make it through stage eight. His Fiesta was seen crabbing through the test after suffering damage to its rear suspension.
Back at the front, Saturday afternoon rain showers had kept the lead battle interesting with Ireland’s famous shiny tar proving an ever-present threat. An attacking Devine took 5.2 seconds out of Cronin’s lead on stage eight but it wasn’t enough to disturb Cronin over the final two stages.
“It’s good to get the win,” said Cronin at the end of the final stage. “We had a good start to the championship but the last two rounds didn’t go great for us so it’s great to get the win here today.
“They were really tough stages, conditions were mixed, and on that last loop I didn’t think I’d have to push, but Callum started to push so we had to up it a bit again.
“I’m delighted with the result, they were some of the toughest stages you will come across.”
Moffett held onto third to move closer to Edwards in the ITRC standings and secure the top spot in the Citroen C3 Rally2 Trophy.
Eddie Doherty upped his pace on Saturday afternoon to take fourth and cap off a solid warm-up for his next National Rally Championship round in Galway.
John MacCrone was another driver utilising the Ulster as a full-day test. The Scotsman will be delighted with his top-five finish ahead of his attack on the infamous Mull Rally.
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Photos by D Harrigan Images
