Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan are still the kings of the Donegal International Rally after securing a 20.5-second victory over Meirion Evans and Ger Conway.
In fact, it was a repeat of the 2024 podium, with David Kelly sneaking into third spot on Donegal’s final stage.
Devine started the 20-stage event by setting a joint-fastest time with European Rally Championship contender Jon Armstrong on Donegal’s Malin Head opener. Armstrong moved into the lead briefly when he recorded Mamore Gap’s benchmark time before dropping 30 seconds on stage three when his Ford Fiesta Rally2 encountered rear differential trouble.
Consistency was key for Devine, who ended day one 12.4 seconds clear of New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon. Paddon was getting to grips with Ireland’s unique asphalt roads, continually trying to dial his Hyundai i20 Rally2 into the new conditions, and ended Friday with a stage win on Coolcross.
The Toyota Yaris Rally2s of Evans and William Creighton ended Friday in third and fourth, separated by a mere 0.2 seconds with Armstrong breathing down their necks after a brace of stage wins on Friday afternoon.
A storming drive over Saturday’s opening High Glen test catapulted Armstrong and Shane Byrne back up into second, with one second covering Armstrong, Evans, Creighton, and Paddon in the race behind Devine.
Unfortunately for the M-Sport pilot, another mechanical issue for his Fiesta Rally2 cost him almost a minute on the subsequent loop of High Glen and Lough Keel stages, dropping him down to seventh and out of contention.
It was Creighton and Paddon who shared stage wins amidst Armstrong’s woes, but the pair of challengers were to suffer late Saturday blows.
Paddon’s Lough Keel fastest time had put him into Donegal’s top three at the rally’s halfway point, but he was still struggling with his Hyundai’s handling on the speedy stages. In the end, it was an unlucky stage 13 for the two-time ERC champion when he slid wide on one of Knockalla’s iconic bends, rolling into retirement.
Creighton, meanwhile, was charging into overall contention after five stage wins from seven on Saturday. His brace of Knockalla pacesetters coincided with handbrake issues for Devine’s Skoda Fabia Rally2.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy ace had cut Devine’s advantage from 17.7 seconds after stage seven to under five seconds ahead of Saturday’s final stage.
Creighton’s superb Saturday ended in heartbreak, though, when a slow puncture resulted in his Yaris understeering through a hedge on Garrygort.
With two runs of Carnhill, Atlantic Drive, and Fanad Head left to go, Devine now had 21.8 seconds in hand over Evans and Conway ahead of Sunday’s special stages.
After two days of sunshine, rain greeted the crews on Sunday morning. Devine judged the mixed conditions best on Sunday’s Carnhill opener to extend his lead to 30.1 seconds. Just behind, the race for third was heating up with Josh Moffett and Armstrong eyeing up third-placed David Kelly.
Armstrong surged into third on the next Atlantic Drive test despite his less-than-ideal package of wet tyres on the now bone-dry roads. The Fermanagh native made third his own with two more stage wins, including a 6.1-second fastest time on Donegal’s penultimate stage. Unfortunately, an overshoot on Fanad Head left Armstrong stuck without a result, capping off a weekend of ups and downs.
Donegal’s Kelly had done enough to keep 2022 rally winner Moffett at bay to seal the final podium position as Devine and Evans maintained their top two positions.
Declan and Michael Boyle enjoyed a close battle throughout the three-day event, and it looked as though Father had got the better of son up until a puncture on stage 17 had Declan drop behind Michael in what turned out to be the race for fifth. Matthew Boyle’s tenth-place finish made it a memorable weekend for the whole family.
Aaron McIntyre and Derry Long claimed a hard-fought two-wheel-drive victory in their Toyota Starlet. McIntyre, who was making his Donegal International Rally debut, was third heading into Sunday’s six stages.
Usual modified pacesetter, Kevin Gallagher, had controlled the category up until his Darrian T90 slid out of a two-minute lead on Sunday’s opening Carnhill test.
That left McIntyre fighting for the modified lead against Ford Escort Mk2 pilot Gareth Irwin. A spin on Fanad Head gave Irwin a 13.8-second lead, which was only cut by 0.6 seconds on the next Carnhill test.
McIntyre went on an almighty charge over Donegal’s penultimate Atlantic Drive stage to claim a 10.2-second fastest time. His epic push coincided with two overshoots for Irwin, who in the end had to settle for second, 24.6 seconds clear of third-placed Conor Harvey.
Donegal’s John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson secured a dominant Donegal Historic Rally victory, controlling the competitive category from start to finish.
O’Donnell set the early pace with a 5.4-second fastest time over High Glen on Saturday morning. Nearest challenger Stuart Darcy dropped out of contention on the next pass over High Glen, leaving Meirion Evans, Trevor Wilson, and Michael McDaid to challenge O’Donnell’s BMW M3.
11 incredible stage wins from a possible 13 put O’Donnell’s Donegal crown beyond doubt, eventually finishing a minute and a half clear of Evans and Anthony O’Sullivan’s Ford Escort RS1800.
McDaid and Denver Rafferty looked set to seal third in Historics, but their Escort RS1800 failed to make it through Fanad Head, handing the final podium spot to Wilson and Paul Mulholland’s M3.
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Photos by Fergus McAnallen / Rallyretro
