Four contenders eye up National prize in Donegal Harvest finale
Saturday’s Donegal Harvest Rally hosts a tantilising fourway finale between the National Rally Championship’s yearlong title contenders.
Daniel Cronin, Eddie Doherty, Josh Moffett, and Sam Moffett all start the nine-stage decider with a chance of sealing this year’s National title.
Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty’s fourth win of the year last time out in Galway has put them into pole position to claim championship honours in Donegal. Slip-ups in Mayo and Carlow clouded Moffett’s chances of a record-setting fourth National crown but a return to his trusty Hyundai i20 R5 has helped propel him up the leaderboard.
Moffett is four points behind joint-leaders Cronin and Doherty but moves into top spot after the National Rally Championship’s two dropped scores are considered.
Similarly, Sam Moffett lies down in fourth in the championship standings but actually sits second, two points behind his younger brother, when dropped scores are taken into account.
A Donegal victory combined with a fastest time on the Ardrummond power stage would be enough for Sam to seal his first championship in seven years.
For Cronin and Doherty, they lie 10 and eight points behind Josh Moffett respectively after dropped scores. While an outside bet for title honours, we have seen on several occasions this year how Ireland’s infamous asphalt tests can have their say on such scenarios.
Back to the rally itself, Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan are seeded first in their Skoda Fabia Rally2. Can the defending Harvest winners secure their Skoda’s second Donegal victory within four months.
Declan and Michael Boyle as well as David Kelly will all be eyeing up a strong showing on their home stages while Desi Henry can never be ruled out in his Citroen C3 Rally2.
Kevin Gallagher leads the two-wheel-drive challenge in his Darrian T90 with Daniel McKenna and Gary McPhillips cloes behind.
A typically strong modified pack features Moffett brothers Richard and David as well as Kerry flyer Colin O’Donoghue.
Trentagh (12.94 km) – SS1/4/7
A stage name familiar to many thanks to its links to the Donegal International Rally. The first half of Trentagh offers a fairly intense start to the National Rally Championship’s deciding round.
The last six kilometres are a bit faster but include several sudden corners that could easily catch out the unwary. It is a nice stage though, with plenty of medium-speed corners.
Carn Hill (13.39 km) – SS2/5/8
Running in an opposite-to-normal direction, this definitely feels more difficult than the usual Carn Hill we have become used to.
Crews will need to work hard through Carn Hill’s 13 kilometres and like Trentagh there are quite a few traps as well.
It is a great stage but it will be difficult to find a flow and is another hurdle for Donegal’s entrants to overcome on Saturday.
Ardrummond (8.18 km) – SS3/6/9
Ardrummond will be a high-speed blast through its first half with a few junctions in-between. The second half features a few tricky sections before finishing off in the town of Ramelton.
A fitting endpoint to what has been a magnificent year of National Rally Championship action.
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Photos by Philip Fitzpatrick
