Four-way National title fight heads to Galway Summer Rally
Josh and Sam Moffett lead a fine line-up of rally cars for Sunday’s Galway Summer Rally. The penultimate round of the National Rally Championship features its four title contenders, the Moffetts joined by Eddie Doherty and Daniel Cronin.
Carlow Stages Rally winner, Cronin, holds a two-point lead over Doherty but it is third-placed Josh Moffett who could benefit from two dropped scores at the end of the season. Moffett’s victory in Tipperary last time came at a crucial time, his third win of the season boosting his championship credentials.
Will defending champions, Moffett and Keith Moriarty, once again return to their old Hyundai i20 faithful after its Stonethrowers win or stick with Citroen after its Ulster Rally podium?
James Ford and Neil Shanks brought the Citroen C3 fight to Moffett on the Ulster Rally. Seeded fifth, they could spring a surprise in Galway.
Just behind, Declan Boyle could turn heads if he pops up in Skoda’s latest Rally2 Fabia. Gary Kiernan, Michael Boyle, and Paul Barrett continue the high-performance field of Rally2 examples.
Kiernan will renew an old rivalry on Sunday as his old two-wheel-drive counterpart Kevin Eves makes the switch to a Ford Fiesta Rally2 for the first time.
Kevin Gallagher and James Stafford make it a pair of pristine Darrians at the head of Galway’s two-wheel-drive field. Conor Murphy, Daniel McKenna, and Jonathan Pringle lead the Ford Escort Mk2 contingent while David Moffett is joined by his Father Maurice on Galway’s entry list. The Toyota Starlet ace makes his first National Championship start since 2017.
Check out our stage preview of the 96-kilometre event thanks to Onthepacenote’s Killian Duffy.
Ballynahowen (9.3 km) – SS1/4/7
The National Rally Championship crews are in for a narrow and twisty start to this year’s Galway Summer Rally. It could be slippery as well.
There will be no room for nerves as cars tackle a few high-speed corners in these narrow sections. With no margin for error, this could be an interesting opener for the all-important penultimate round.
The stage gets easier as it speeds up after the opening third but this is rallying and there is no such thing as an in-stage break.
Kilconnell (9.2 km) – SS2/5/8
Kilconnell is another challenging test, a similarly narrow test featuring Ireland’s iconic grassy roads.
The main difference is a phase of bumps to kick off the stage. The opening kilometre definitely needs a bit of caution.
Fohenagh (13.6 km) – SS3/6/9
Galway’s final stage is a stark contrast to its predecessors. Fast and open, it includes several chicanes, on Galway’s race to the finish-line.
The Summer Rally’s decisive test has a few choppy sections that will need a bit of thought as day-long battles reach their end-point.
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Photo by D Harrigan Images
