Mayo gets top entry and tough stages for National Rally opener
Ireland’s National Rally Championships swings back into action on this weekend’s Mayo Stages Rally. Josh Moffett’s third National title went down to the wire last year and he is set to face stiff competition in his bid for a fourth in 2024.
Three Citroen C3 Rally2s line up in Mayo’s top four. Moffett makes his second appearance in a C3 after finishing third on the Galway International Rally at the start of February.
Desi Henry and Declan Boyle are well accustomed to their Citroens with Henry a regular threat for rally wins. In fact, Henry and Moffett were only a few seconds apart heading into Galway’s final stage as they sought top rewards in the opening round of the C3 Rally2 Trophy.
Paul Barrett, Niall Maguire, and Steve Wood are the other Citroen contenders in the latest C3 Rally2 Trophy dash for cash.
Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly are shoehorned between Mayo’s top Citroens, running fourth on the road in their Hyundai i20 Rally2. Moffett was in the top five mix in Galway and will be hoping for a strong result as he kicks off his National Rally Championship campaign.
Daniel Cronin, Michael Boyle, and David Guest bring Volkswagens and Fords to the party while once-modified pacesetters Eddie Doherty and Gary Kiernan are set to continue their Rally2 apprenticeship.
Mayo’s two-wheel-drive tussle is sure to be a head-turner with a vast array of class winners and highly tuned cars braced for the eight-stage championship opener.
Kevin Gallagher is seeded 11th in his Darrian T90 with Mark Alcorn and Damien Tourish just behind in a brace of Ford Escort Mk2s.
Gary McPhillips, Jonathan Pringle, and Colin O’Donoghue are all serious challengers while Michael Carbin has switched from his giant-killing Mitsubishi to a Class 14 Mk2 Escort.
Mayo’s maxed-out entry of 150 crews has several further top names on the reserve entry as rally fever begins to properly hit Ireland’s latest year of on-stage action.
The Ballina-based event consists of four loops of two stages on Sunday as Onthepacenote’s Killian Duffy provides us with his take on the challenge that lies ahead.
Brackwanshagh (14.84 km) – SS1/3/5
Starting at a crossroads, stage one could be a slippery start to the day as the roads offer a shiny surface.
The middle of Brackwanshagh has a flowing, busy nature before jumping into a really narrow end to the stage.
The drivers will face an interesting challenge as they thread their cars through the final 2.5 kilometres which takes on a mucky, single-car-width road.
Ballintober (15.30 km) – SS2/4/6
Ballintober will be a more difficult test but offers plenty of time for crews willing to take a few risks.
The stage is filled with brave corners and blind crests on narrow Mayo roads. The grip improves through the stage but it will still be a demanding drive.
Cloghans (12.54 km) – SS7
The penultimate stage of Mayo’s final loop is a repeat of Brackwanshagh, albeit with a two-kilometre section excluded.
Crews will take a square-right instead of a square-left at the first junction which will bring them back onto the original stage after skipping a few of Brackwanshagh’s corners.
Rathoma (10.14 km) – SS8
The 2024 Mayo Stages Rally will be decided on the shortest test of the day. Again, this stage is based on Ballintober with a five-kilometre shortcut halfway through the stage.
Photos by D Harrigan Images and Gavin Woods
