Devine gunning for Donegal Harvest Rally hat-trick
Callum Devine tops Saturday’s Donegal Harvest Rally entry list in a bid to win the one-day event for the third time in a row.
Devine, and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan, take their Volkswagen Polo R5 back out on Irish asphalt after a two-month break since the Cork 20 International Rally.
The 2022 Rally of the Lakes winners will be favourites for victory in Donegal but face stiff opposition from a variety of leading cars and crews.
Sam Moffett’s Ford Fiesta WRC is perhaps the most likely to spoil Devine’s hat-trick hopes. The 2017 National, Tarmac, and Forest champion has had to make do with a slimline rally campaign this year, featuring several outings in a Toyota Starlet.
Still, Moffett and the WRC Fiesta remain a threatening combination, as his runner-up finish in June’s Donegal International Rally proved.
Fans can watch in intrigue as Galway Summer Rally winners, Gareth MacHale and Brian Murphy, complete their comeback season with a visit to Donegal.
MacHale has unquestionably found his feet within the Polo R5 at a rapid rate. The Harvest’s highly competitive top ten gives MacHale the perfect chance to compare his pace with the best ahead of next season.
Robert Barrable has sailed through his National Rally Championship campaign without drama but a fight for victory in Donegal would be a nice finishing touch to his year. The Dubliner is seeded third in his Ford Fiesta Rally2 with local co-driver Paddy Robinson in the hotseat.
Declan Boyle pushed Devine all the way on last year’s Donegal Harvest Rally. The Donegal driver will only have eyes for victory this weekend despite his limited time behind the wheel this year.
Seamus Leonard, Joseph McGonigle, and Tim McNulty are more names to watch on the Muckish, Derryreel, and Moneymore tests.
There are three young local drivers set to tackle the Donegal Harvest in top-flight R5s for the first time. Recently crowned Junior British Rally Champion, Eamonn Kelly, has already impressed in sporadic Polo R5 outings this year. Michael Boyle will make his second appearance in another Polo while Kevin McLaughlin switches his usual Honda Civic for a shot in a Hyundai i20 R5 this weekend.
McLaughlin’s R5 opportunity came courtesy of support from local sponsors who, like many, are keen to see how the Class 11F pacesetter performs in four-wheel-drive machinery.
The quantity and quality of Donegal Harvest’s entry mean the leading two-wheel-drive crew is only seeded number 18.
That honour goes to Kevin Gallagher and Ryan Moore who will be hoping to do the Donegal double this year in their Darrian T90. The Donegal National victors will fight for modified bragging rights against a host of top drivers including Kevin Eves, Gary McPhillips, and Dessie Keenan.
Jason Black and Karl Egan will be aiming to complete a strong National Rally Championship campaign by sealing the rally.ie award for the series’ top two-wheel-drive competitors. Ed O’Callaghan and Patrick McHugh need their Starlet rival to slip up if they are to sneak that title success.
Black may have to resist the temptations of a Class 13 battle with usual suspects Johnny Jordan and John Warren who will pilot another Starlet and Toyota Corolla respectively.
Donagh Kelly leads the historic entries in a BMW M3 ahead of Paul McDevitt and David Armstrong’s brace of Ford Escort Mk2s.
Donegal’s front-wheel-drive fight will also be worth following with Ryan Caldwell, Kyle McBride, and Aoife Raftery battling for the JR2 section of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series. Donegal Harvest is the last of the dual-surface championship’s eight rounds with the winner securing a Billy Coleman Award nomination and a 45,000 euro prize.
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Photos by Roger Dawson and Ruaidhri Nash
