Record fourth Fastnet win for Daragh O'Riordan

BY MARTIN WALSH

THE Triton Showers National Rally Championship concluded with the Bantry-based Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally where Cork driver Daragh O’Riordan and his Derry co-driver Tony McDaid took their Ford Fiesta WRC to an emphatic victory.  

At the conclusion of the nine-stage event on Sunday they were a minute and 17.6 seconds ahead of the similar car of Clonmel’s Roy White and his Cork co-driver James O’Brien. Eleventh after the opening stage, they fashioned a great recovery. They moved into second on the seventh stage and went on to secure the runner-up spot.

Donegal’s Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet) were 11.5 seconds further behind in third.

The Group N category was won Dunmanway’s David Guest in a Mitsubishi. He was co-driven by Donegal’s Paddy Robinson.

Tyrone’s Aidan Wray/Kieran McGrath (Mitsubishi) were second in the category and they duly clinched the Motorsport Safety Group N award within the Triton Showers series.

In the Junior category of the Tritons Showers, title contenders Cormac Phelan/Katja Auhl (Citroen C2R2) crashed out on the opening stage and the non-competing Wexford crew of James Bradley/Maria Kehoe (Honda Civic) claimed the title.  

In event terms victory went to the Meath/Cavan pairing of Gary McNamee/John McCabe (Honda Civic).

Meanwhile, in the main event, the overseas crew of Mel Evans/Patrick Walsh (Subaru WRC) were fourth overall with Clonakilty’s Kevin Kelleher and co-driver Brian Duggan (Subaru WRC) netting fifth place.

O’Riordan led all though to take his fourth win on the event with the chase for second involving White, Gallagher and Evans. White took maximum points to clinch third in the Triton series while Gallagher won the rally.ie title within the national series.

Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally (Final round, Triton Showers National Rally Championship) Bantry:  1. D. O'Riordan/T. McDaid (Ford Fiesta) 1h. 03m. 01.5s; 2. R. White/J. O'Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC)  1h. 04m. 19.1s; 3. D. Gallagher/R. Moore (Toyota Starlet) 1h. 04m. 30.6s; 4. M. Evans/P. Walsh (Subaru WRC) 1h. 04m. 42.5s; 5. K. Kelleher/B. Duggan (Subaru WRC) 1h. 05m. 26.4s; 6. G. Kiernan/J. O'Reilly (Ford Escort) 1h. 05m. 45.8s; 7. J. Pringle/M. Byrne (Ford Escort) 1h. 05m. 59.8s; 8. C. Armstrong/J. Fulton (Ford Escort) 1h. 06m. 11.7s; 9. R. Duggan/D. Crowley (Peugeot 208 R2) 1h. 06m. 28.3s; 10. D. Guest/P. Robinson (Mitsubishi EvoIX) 1h. 06m. 29.5s.