Craig Breen and Paul Nagle scored their fifth win
from six rounds of the Irish Tarmac Championship at the weekend, to clinch the
title for the first time with one round to spare. The Waterford-Killarney
pairing completed the nine stages of the Today’s Ulster International Rally
based in the Newry-Banbridge area of Co Down 20 seconds ahead of current
British champion Matt Edwards and co-driver Patrick Walsh.
The Welsh crew held second position throughout
the rally, and stayed close to Breen over the opening stages, but the lead
gradually increased and Edwards/Walsh never really looked as though they could
mount a serious challenge.
The Southern pair’s four earlier wins were at
the wheel of Ford Fiestas, but this weekend was the first time they have
campaigned a Hyundai i20 in this country, following on from their recent
overseas outings for the South Korean manufacturer, which culminated in seventh
place in Rally Finland earlier this month, a round of the World Rally
Championship.
Another impressively quick drive from Callum
Devine landed the Derry driver with his third podium finish of the year, with
the former Young Rally Driver of the Year less than a minute behind the winners
at the finish in his Fiesta.
Among the retirements were Monaghan’s Josh
Moffett, who rolled on the third stage, and British title contender Tom Cave,
who also went off the road on the penultimate test.
