A superb display of driving in tricky Galway Rally conditions has given Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson their second international rally win in the opening round of the 2023 tarmac season.
The Welsh crew entered Sunday's six stages locked in a fight for Galway International Rally's final podium position, a distant 20 seconds behind overnight leaders Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes.
Sunday's opening Black Road test was cancelled as ice littered parts of the mountain stage. Stage 11, Ballydoogan, was the first to challenge Irish Tarmac's best, and it claimed one of Galway Rally's frontrunners.
Sam Moffett hadn't completed much of Ballydoogan when he met the stricken Citroen C3 Rally2 of Cathan McCourt and Liam Moynihan. McCourt, who at that time was Josh Moffett's nearest challenger, had been caught out by shiny tarmac in a right-left sequence of corners. His damaged Citroen could go no further
Sam Moffett lost crucial seconds passing McCourt's accident but hoped to receive a notional time. Moffett's time would have been that of his brothers - eight minutes and 25.6 seconds.
Even that wouldn't have been enough for Sam to stay ahead of Evans, though, who took this rally by the scruff of the neck on Sunday's opener.
Evans went fastest by 5.5 seconds through Ballydoogan. His Ballydoogan blinder brought hope of a rally challenge. He was still over 14 seconds behind Moffett and Hayes, however.
Robert Barrable was the second-fastest driver through Ballydoogan, a reminder of where he could have been in the overall standings had his C3 not suffered a small fire on Saturday afternoon.
Elsewhere, Desi Henry was left describing his Ford Fiesta Rally2 as a 300-horsepower shopping trolley after ineffective set-up changes added to his woes in Galway. Last year's Circuit of Ireland and Ulster Rally contender was left reeling down in ninth.
Conditions on Black Road had improved enough for it to run in Sunday's second loop. And Galway's most formidable stage was set to provide yet another twist in the rally's tale.
Rally leader Josh Moffett arrived at Black Road's stage-end with a disappointed look on his face. Reports indicated that his Hyundai i20 R5 had collided with a bale on the 19.5-kilometre test.
A spin after the chicane had done more damage to Moffett's Galway Rally defence, however. The two-time Irish Tarmac Champion knew he had lost time but was it enough to lose his lead?
Next up, Sam Moffett arrived at the stop-line with Evans tight to his bumper. Sam was flying through Black Road, feeling at his best behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 Rally2.
The 33-year-old's Black Road assault took a hefty hit, though. A tightening right-hander lured the Rally2 driver in and the section of shiny tar slid the front of his Hyundai into a stone wall.
Meanwhile, Evans and Jackson were pushing equally hard in their Volkswagen Polo R5. They completed Black Road without any mistakes, racking up another stage win, this time by 8.1 seconds.
Evans had leapt ahead of Josh Moffett
Evans scored a hat-trick of fastest times on Stage 13 as Josh Moffett suffered another setback. Moffett's Hyundai overshot a junction on yet another slippery section.
Moffett did well to limit his time loss to 3.5 seconds. The gap to Evans was 8.3 seconds with two stages to go. The rally was by no means over.
Evans was the nearest to Patrick obriens Black Road benchmark on Galway's penultimate stage. Josh Moffett couldn't match his rival's Sunday surge and struggled to push really hard through Black Road after his dramas the loop before.
Devine jumped into fourth, back ahead of Greer, with less than a second separating them heading into Galway's Ballydoogan finale.
But it was Greer who set the joint-fastest time with Evans on Galway's decider to clinch fourth ahead of Devine.
At the front, Evans held his nerve to claim a Galway International Rally victory that cements his status as one of Irish Tarmac's leading contenders.
