Callum Devine, the reigning Irish Tarmac Rally champion, will be keen to kick on in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 at this Saturday's Modern Tyres Ulster Rally following a winning debut in the last round in Donegal.
The event is the penultimate round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (ITRC) with just the Cork 20 to come next month.
Devine is third in the series, ten points behind the Fiesta of Keith Cronin and some 8.5 points adrift of UK driver Matt Edwards in his Ford Fiesta.
Devine caught fellow competitors off guard a little in June when he crossed the start ramp of the Donegal International Rally in the Czech-built car following a brief test.
The decision to switch over from his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to the Fabia was rewarded with back-to-back Donegal successes – an outcome that bolstered the defence of his Tarmac title, and reduced the deficit to his rivals
Asked if he believes there is more to come from him and the Fabia in a few days’ time, Devine said: "I hope so. I do feel, having done a rally in the car, that it will help me.
"In Donegal it was a case of trying different things throughout the rally, particularly with the set-up – there was a bit of learning – but now we’ve something to work on, hopefully we can start a bit stronger."
Unlike Cronin and Edwards, 30-year-old Devine – a former Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award recipient for young rally driver of the year, has never visited the top step of the podium at the Northern Ireland Motor Club event
"It will be great if we could get a win on the Ulster Rally this time around. We have managed a third and a second on our last two visits, so hopefully we can go one better," said Devine.
"It will leave us in an advantageous position heading towards the final round in Cork if we do, but no doubt Keith and Matt will be thinking the same. It will be a big battle at the front.
"It will be a strong pace this year, much like all the other rallies have been in the Irish Tarmac Championship so far.
"Hopefully, the weather is better, more settled, this time, because in previous years it has added another challenge for the drivers."
Cronin, who is also in contention to win the British Rally Championship (BRC) for the fifth time, last won in Ulster in 2017, while Edwards won it two times when it was also part of the BRC.
Edwards, who comes from the seaside town of Llandudno, went on to dominate the BRC on three occasions, with his most recent title coming in 2021 when he prevailed at the end of a season-long battle with his compatriot, Osian Pryce.
Once again, Edwards is in contention to win in Ulster and a win on Easter’s Circuit of Ireland and top-three finishes in Killarney and Donegal keeping him in title contention.
However, with February’s Galway International ending in retirement and therefore counting as one of his permitted drop scores, the pressure is very much on Edwards to score strongly.
He said: "I think there are five or six of us all needing a good result on this event, and everyone is still trying to find seat time in their cars and driving at competitive speeds, so picking a clear favourite is ridiculously hard.
"However, I think having a general feel for the geography of the Newry area, even if the stages are not the same, does help.
"I do not think there is much, if anything, identical to the route of 2021, but going by past results, I would say I am comfortable on the technical nature of the roads in the area and enjoy the challenge they bring.
"They are slower in terms of average speed to Donegal, for instance, but that suited us on the Circuit this year, so that bodes well for us."
Played out over one day, ten special stages, and 83 competitive miles, Saturday’s winner is going to be the driver who finds their groove quickest and keeps their driving neat and tidy.
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