Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty became the first crew to win two rounds of this year’s Triton Showers National Rally Championship yesterday when their Ford Fiesta WRC finished the Fanning Motor Factors Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally at Clonmel eight seconds clear of former double champion Declan Boyle and his co-driver James O’Reilly.
The Monaghan-Limerick pairing were fastest on the morning’s opening stage and were never headed all day, despite a scare on the penultimate stage at Knockgraffon when the leading car lost power when it dropped on to three cylinders. This allowed Boyle to close the gap from 19 seconds to just three, setting the scene for a dramatic duel over the final section.
However, Moffett’s car was back to full health for that decisive last stage, and he was able to enlarge his lead again, closing the gap in the championship points table which Boyle heads in his bid for that elusive third title. Roy White and James O’Brien, the National championship winners two years ago, finished third to complete a clean sweep of the top positions for Fiestas.
Richard Meeke was the clear winner of TDC’s Clubman Autotest at Rathcoole, completing the 12 tests more than 20 seconds ahead of a duel between Rod McGovern and John Farrelly, who shared the same Westfield, finishing less than a second apart.
TIPPERARY M C FANNING MOTOR FACTORS STONETHROWERS STAGES RALLY AT CLONMEL (ROUND 4 OF TRITON SHOWERS NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 4 OF SUIRWAY GROUP SOUTH EAST STAGES CHAMPIONSHIP AND ROUND 4 OF COLTON MOTORS MIDLANDS EAST CHAMPIONSHIP):
1 Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty (Fiesta WRC) 55m 20s,
2 Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly (Fiesta WRC) 55m 28s,
3 Roy White/James O’Brien (Fiesta WRC) 56m 38s,
4 Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Mini WRC) 57m 01s,
5 Daragh O’Riordan/Mickey Walsh (Fiesta WRC) 57m 54s,
6 Daniel Cronin/Shane Buckley (Fiesta R5) 58m 23s,
7 Stuart Darcy/Patrick Brides (Darrian T90 GTR) 58m 57s,
8 Johnny Jordan/Paddy McCrudden (Starlet) 59m 40s,
9 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 59m 44s,
10 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 59m 49s.
Motorsport Safety Team Group N award: Brian O’Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 62m 11s.
rally.ie Two wheel drive award: Stuart Darcy/Patrick Brides.
TRIALS DRIVERS’ CLUB CLUBMAN AUTOTEST AT EARTHMOVER PLANT RENTALS, RATHCOOLE, CO DUBLIN:
Overall: 1 Richard Meeke (Starlet) 585.9s,
2 Rod McGovern (Westfield) 607.2s,
3 John Farrelly (Westfield) 608.1s,
4 Piers MacFheorais (Mazda MX5) 628.8s,
5 Brian Kingston (Ignis) 656.2s,
6 John McAssey (Starlet) 657.5s.
INTERMEDIATES:
1 David Meeke (Starlet) 679.3s,
2 Owen Murray (Starlet) 743.2s,
3 Anthony Freeney (Starlet) 787.5s.
NOVICES:
1 Rod McGovern,
2 Cathal O’Carroll (Mazda MX5) 700.2s.
BEGINNERS:
1 John Farrelly,
2 Thomas Hughes (Starlet) 751.1s,
3 Ger Keane (Starlet) 792.4s.
