With their third victory in as many outings, Cork’s Brian O’Mahony and his Mayo co-driver John Higgins (Subaru WRC) have moved into the lead of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.
On the Auburn Lodge Hotel Clare Rally, the penultimate round of the series, they finished 19 seconds in front of the similar Subaru WRC of Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry.
Kevin Kelleher/Ger Conway, in an S9 Subaru WRC, were 57 seconds further behind in third.
Pre-event Dunlop series leaders Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley retired their Subaru with transmission troubles on the fifth stage; they’re now six points behind O’Mahony/Higgins.
Maguire/Sherry remain in contention for the Vard Memorial Trophy, they are ten points behind the new leaders.
The series will now be decided at the Donegal Harvest Rally on 13 October.
Meanwhile, Frank Kelly and co-driver Liam Brennan (Escort), who finished fifth overall, clinched the inaugural Dunlop Mk 2 Champions Trophy.
Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Subaru) secured the Motorsport Safety Team Group N award, and Denis Collins/Tommy Commane (Ford Escort) won the Dunlop Historic series, they were also presented with the Dunlop Drive of the Day award.
On a wet opening stage, Spancill Hill, Fitzmaurice and O’Mahony shared the lead, with Maguire 14 seconds behind in third.
Colm Murphy, in his Group N Subaru, shared fourth, with top two-wheel drive exponent Frank Kelly, (Ford Escort) as Kevin Barrett (Subaru WRC) completed the top six.
Maguire set the pace on the second stage while Fitzmaurice set a cracking pace on SS 3 to move into an 18-second lead.
At the Ennis service halt, he remarked: “I pushed hard on that third stage.”
Second-placed O’Mahony was somewhat miffed as he reckoned he also pushed hard.
Maguire, 13 seconds further behind, was off briefly on the third stage near Corrofin.
Kevin Kelleher moved into fourth place despite some high-speed slides that prompted him to make a change of tyres at the service halt.
Kevin Barrett in sixth was untroubled, but Roy White (MG S2000), one place behind, had no intercom for all but one kilometre of the third stage.
Colm Murphy retained the lead in Group N, but lost time with a bent suspension arm and an overshoot.
Frank Kelly was equal seventh with Murphy in a top ten that also featured Declan Gallagher (Toyota Starlet) and Shane Maguire (Subaru).
Out on SS 4, O’Mahony set a strong pace and that, coupled with transmission woes for Fitzmaurice, put O’Mahony in front by a margin of nine seconds.
On the next stage, Fitzmaurice’s rally ended when his Subaru continued to fail to select fifth gear, intent on not delaying other competitors, his Subaru dropped into a drain as he allowed Frank Kelly to get past.
Maguire was quickest through the stage and on SS 6. Kevin Kelleher punched in his first ever fastest time in a Subaru WRC – four seconds quicker than both O’Mahony and Maguire.
At the final service halt, O’Mahony led Maguire by 22 seconds with Kelleher 29 seconds further adrift in third.
Fourth placed Kevin Barrett was forced to switch his Subaru WRC to safe mode as the coolant pressure gauge soared.
Frank Kelly (Escort) took a cautious approach; he was some 50 seconds in front of the Toyota Starlet of Declan Gallagher.
Roy White retired his MG S2000 with an engine malady.
Local driver Anthony O’Halloran (Mitsubishi) was untroubled in eighth with the Group N Subaru’s of Shane Maguire and Colm Murphy completing the top ten.
The latter lost time when the bonnet shorted across the battery and having attended to the problem, it flew open after he re-started.
Meanwhile, David Guest retired his Honda Civic after the boot lid flew off following a heavy landing over a jump; petrol fumes entered the cockpit leaving them with no option but to withdraw from the rally.
Out on the final loop, O’Mahony judged his pace to ensure his third victory in as many outings and moves to the top of the Dunlop National Rally Championship standings. Maguire took second with Kelleher third.
