Champagne corks pop to toast a Limerick success in the Birr Stages Rally

LIMERICK'S Keith Moriarty and colleague Josh Moffett overcame a sluggish start in difficult conditions to claim victory at the Abbey Court Hotel Birr Stages Rally, round two of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship over the weekend.

The win marks the first national success for their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and comes just two weeks after victory in West Cork for the Monaghan driver and his Limerick co-driver.

Trailing in the early stages, the Monaghan-Limerick crew took control on stage three and held the lead over the remaining six tests. The result puts the pair in prime position for the championship heading into Moffett’s home round in Monaghan next month.

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The podium was completed by standout performances from the chasing pack. Shane Quinn and Stephen Reynolds secured their first-ever podium in second place, with the Longford crew recording their first fastest stage times in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. In third, Kevin Eves and Chris Melly made a successful return to the rostrum in only their second outing in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, finishing just 9.8 seconds behind Quinn.

Jason Dickson and Martin Brady continued their strong form to take fourth in their Ford Fiesta, while Triton Showers boss Paul Barrett and Darragh Kelly finished fifth. Barrett enjoyed the wet conditions in his Citroen C3 Rally2, finding a rhythm in the technical lanes to secure a solid top-five finish.

Further down the top ten, Donegal’s Ryan McHugh and Declan Boyle finished sixth in their Ford Fiesta. 

Daniel Cronin and Padraig O’Donovan maintained a steady pace in their Toyota GR Yaris to finish seventh, though Cronin admitted to being somewhat despondent with the pace. Eighth place went to Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock, who were happy to secure a finish and more seat time in their Ford Fiesta after a retirement in Mayo.

The battle for modified honours produced the drama of the day. In an epic final stage showdown, Aaron McIntyre snatched the win from Jonathan Pringle by just 0.1 of a second. McIntyre, partnered by Darren O'Brien in a Toyota Starlet, gambled on slick tyres for the final loop despite the muddy conditions.

The high-stakes move paid off, allowing the Starlet to leapfrog Pringle’s Ford Escort on the final test to take ninth and tenth overall respectively. As both McIntyre and Pringle are members of County Cavan Motor Club, the result ensures plenty of bragging rights within the club this week.

 In the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Ireland, Oran England and Darragh Mullen delivered a dominant performance in their Peugeot 208 Rally4. The crew led from start to finish, extending their winning margin to 43 seconds over Robert Cronin and Paddy Heffernan by the final ramp.

In the Dacia Sandero Challenge, the brother-and-sister duo of Cillian and Lauren Doherty took the victory. It was a milestone event for Lauren, completing her first proper rally as a co-driver. Their main rival, Anthony O'Halloran, was forced to settle for second after a costly spin earlier in the day.

Elsewhere, Harry Dorrian and Davin Watson secured the Class 16 Junior title in his Honda Civic, while the Historic element of the rally was won by Robert Falvey and John Doody in their Ford Escort RS1800.

The focus now switches to Monaghan for round three of the championship on April 12.