Greer Wins Battle of Loughgall

Jonny Greer & Niall Burns (pictured below) may have led the Loughgall Stages Rally from start to finish, but my goodness they had to work hard for the victory! Going into the final stage, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 pairing were LESS THAN A SECOND in front of a hard charging Sam Moffett/Pierce O’Callaghan in their Hyundai i20 Rally2. By the end of that 5-mile Springhill test, Greer had won the rally by 4.1seconds from Moffett. Niall McGonigle was third. The VW Polo GTI R5 Strabane man and co-driver Caolan McKenna survived an high speed spin early in the event to finish 17.3 seconds behind the Hyundai. Best 2WD finishers were Barry

Morris/Denver Rafferty who were sixth in their Darrian T90 GTR+.

North Armagh Motor Club were the organisers of this the third round of the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Based In Loughgall Country Park, the rally consisted of six closed-road stages (two tests run three times) SS1/3/5 Callan River was eight miles long while SS2/4/6 Springhill finished in the Country Park at the end of a 5.06 mile run. 91 cars started (19 Rally2/R5) and 74 finished.

I was on start radio for the three Springhill stages. Despite set up delays to begin with, everything ran smoothly and by the third run we were back on schedule. Other club members were involved in timekeeping, radio cover and stage marshalling on what turned out to be a very wet Saturday 4th July in County Armagh.

Another Donegal Tragedy

As I am sure you are all well aware by now, there was a tragic accident on the 2026 Donegal International Rally. Unfortunately a 15-year-old schoolboy lost his life and two other spectators were injured when they were struck by a competing car which left the road during stage 12 at Gartan on day two, the afternoon of Saturday 20th June. The car involved was the second competitor to start the 8-mile stage, the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Callum Devine and his co-driver Noel O’Sullivan. A full investigation into the incident has been launched by Motorsport Ireland and the Garda Siochana (national police).

With their rally once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, the organisers, Donegal Motor Club, must learn lessons from this tragic incident and try to ensure that it cannot happen again.

The three-day Donegal International Rally, the biggest and most popular closed-road special stage rally in Ireland, is perhaps a victim of its own success. Huge crowds lined the stages this year due to the perfect summer weather. It is almost impossible to control such large numbers of spectators. Stage marshals can only do their best and cannot cover all the vantage points. With competing cars now so fast and running at 30 second intervals, everyone on the stages, marshals and spectators, have to be vigilant at all times, there is no room for complacency.

Sadly, it’s not the first time that a fatal accident has occurred on the Donegal International Rally. If the event is to survive into the future, corrective steps must taken. Dedicated spectator areas could be introduced, with the organisers limiting the numbers by charging entry to all stages (such as was introduced on WRC Rally GB in the past). I do realise that this may be extremely difficult to enforce!

The remaining 8 stages of the 2026 Donegal Rally were cancelled following the fatal accident on SS12. Northern Ireland drivers finished 1-2-3: Winners were Kris Meeke and Liam Regan in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy finished second in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 while Philip Allen/Craig Drew were third in another Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Altogether 165 cars started the rally, 42 of them were top class Rally2/R5 machines.

I wish to offer my condolences to the family and friends of the young boy, Tadhg Callaghan Carter, who was killed in the incident. Best wishes to those who were injured and I hope they fully recover. My thoughts are with Calum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan plus all the medical and rescue services, officials and marshals who were involved.

LOOKING BACK

Marshalling Memories

40 YEARS AGO

I was timekeeping on the 1986 Donegal International Rally with David Corbett and Greg Earl. Billy Coleman and Ronan Morgan won the rally first time out in a Rothmans MG Metro 6R4. We covered starts and finishes on stages like Kindrum

Lake & Atlantic Drive. Vincent Bonner crashed on the finish line of SS2, when I was timing, but he carried on and would eventually finish seventh. James Cullen was second in a Nissan 240RS while Cyril Boulton took third place in another Metro 6R4. John Lyons was magnificent in a little Honda Civic, finishing a superb eighth overall!

30 YEARS AGO

Dennis Biggerstaff won the 1996 Ulster Rallycross GP at Nutts Corner. The Dromara driver borrowed an engine for his final rallycross in his British Championship winning MG Metro 6R4 and dominated the Larne MC event.

20 YEARS AGO

There was “Metro Boy Magic” on the 2006 Donegal Rally. Colin McRae and Nicky Grist were competing in the National section of the rally in a hired MG Metro 6R4. The 1995 World Champion won the National Rally hands down in the amazing 20-year-old machine. Had McRae been challenging for overall honours he would have finished in eighth place!

Andrew Nesbitt won the 2006 Donegal International Rally in his ultimate 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer WRC and his teammate Mark Higgins was second in a similar car. The rally was celebrating its 35th anniversary and an Irish record of 23 World Rally Cars took part. We were timekeeping (mostly in the rain) for all three days of the event. You can watch this event and other old RPM produced Donegal Rallies on Motorsport Ireland’s YouTube channel at anytime.

10 YEARS AGO

Ray, Ross and myself were stage finish timekeepers on the three days of the 2016 Donegal International Rally, including the “rally-deciding” final stage. Star of the show was Keith Cronin in his little Citroen DS3 R5. He may have lost the rally win by just half-a-second to local ace, the late Manus Kelly in his “full fat” Subaru S12, but the Cork youngster gave his all. He and co-driver Mikie Galvin were nine seconds in front of the more powerful WRC car of Kelly and Donall Barrett starting the 20th and final stage at Fanad Head. Unfortunately the Citroen lost fuel pressure half way through the 9-mile test and try as he might the Cronin win was just not to be. A remarkable drive nonetheless! Scottish driver David Bogie won the National section from Frank Kelly, both were in Ford Escort Mk.2’s.

RALLY DIARY

SAT. 25th JULY
CARRYDUFF FORKLIFT RALLYE LECALE

• Round 4: Brown & Brown Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

Organised by Ballynahinch & District Motor Club and based in Downpatrick. Four closed-road (repeated) stages in that area of Co.Down make up this new-for-2026 event. Going into this his local event, BADMC club member Jonny Greer leads the NI Championship by four points from Monaghan’s Sam Moffett. These two contenders were in a-class-of-their-own on the last round in Loughgall. A big entry is expected. BMMC (NI) will be covering rescue, stage marshalling and radio cover. Sign-on at rallyscore.net

FRI. 7th—SAT. 8th AUGUST
MODERN TYRES ULSTER RALLY

• Round 6:  Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
• Round 6:  FIA European Historic Rally Pre-2000 Rally Championship

Organised by the NI Motor Club. Rally HQ & Service Park are based at Ballymena Showgrounds in Co. Antrim. There are 12 closed-road stages totalling 100 miles. BMMC (NI) are providing support as usual including Rescue, Stage marshalling, timekeepers and radio cover. Francois Delacour is competing in the EHR Pre-2000 Championship in a Peugeot 306 Kit-Car so can expect to see the former French WRC star in Ballymena hi?

Evans to the Fore Once More

Elfyn Evans leads the 2026 World Rally Championship by 20 points from Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta at the halfway point. The little Welsh Wizard and co-driver Scott Martin dominated the three-day Rally Japan at the end of May, after his biggest challenger Oliver Solberg crashed his Yaris out of contention on day two. This was Elfyn’s third Rally Japan victory.

Dare I say it; but could this be the year that Evans, 5-times runner up in the WRC,  finally wins the big prize come November! Solberg looks to be his nearest challenger, but the young Swede who won round one in Monte Carlo, has since developed a nasty habit of having high-speed accidents while in contention for overall success!

Sebastien Ogier was second in Japan, Sami Pajari third and Takamoto Katsuta fourth; all of them were in Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 machines. Once again Hyundai were humbled, with their three i20 drivers finishing fifth, sixth and seventh. M-Sport’s Jon Armstrong was eighth on his first visit to Japan and his Puma teammate Josh McErlean tenth after losing time with a wheel-change on day two. Nikolay Gryazin was ninth overall in Japan and he won Rally2 in his Lancia Ypsilon after a rally long battle with Alejandro Cachon’s Toyota GR Yaris.

Only 32 competitors overall started WRC Rally Japan, 10 of which were Rally1 cars and just 12 in the supporting Rally2 category. Japan was the final tarmac event on the 2026 calendar, and the last sealed-surface rally for the present Rally1 cars. The remaining seven WRC events are all gravel based.

RALLY DIARY

Sat. 4th June
Tyrone Stages Rally @ Benone

Organisers Cookstown MC have attracted Bear Competitions as their title sponsors for this event. Based in Limavady the short, tricky 14 tarmac stages are all on private roads in the Magilligan Point/Benone Beach area of Co.Derry. A surprising entry is that of four-times British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington. In what I think is his first-ever stage rally, the Portadown man will be co-driven by the legendary Rory Kennedy in a historic spec BMW M3. Altogether 66 cars are entered and the rally is a round of the 2026 Sligo Pallets Border  Championship. BMMC are covering rescue and stage marshalling as well as radio cover. Sign-on is via the rallyscore.net website or on the day of the event.

Fri. 19th—Sun. 21st June
Donegal International Rally

As usual a cracking maximum 160-car entry (41 Rally2 machines) for this the “Jewel in the Crown” of the 2026 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Day one features six new stages in the Gweedore-Falcarragh area while Saturday sees eight more tests including the classic Knockalla and Gartan. On Sunday, the final six stages feature the legendary Atlantic Drive and Fanad Head.

Winner for the past three years, Calum Devine heads the entry list in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 while Kris Meeke runs second with Liam Regan on the notes in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Josh McErlean is the third seed in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 as he takes time off from his M-Sport WRC campaign. William Creighton at number four is scheduled to give the brand new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 its Irish debut in Donegal. Question is, why is Donegal not an ERC event?

Sat. 4th July
Loughgall Stages Rally

After a three-month break, the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship resumes with Round 3, the six-stage-closed-road Loughgall Stages Rally run by North Armagh MC. We are covering timekeeping, radio and stage marshalling as usual. Jonny Greer leads the Championship after the Circuit of Ireland but Sam Moffett is close behind. Sign-on via. rallyscore.net.

Dave Storms to Circuit Victory

Donegal Town driver David Kelly (on the right above) had never won an Irish Tarmac Championship rally until last month. That all changed when the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 crewed by Kelly and Killarney co-driver Shane Buckley scored the narrowest victory EVER on the Circuit of Ireland. Just half-a-second was the margin of their win over Josh Moffett’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Dublin man Eddie Doherty in another Skoda Fabia RS was third almost a minute behind.

Just who is David Kelly? The young spectacled man was seeded fourth on the COI Easter classic. He graduated this year from a VW Polo R5 to the latest Skoda Rally2 machine. David has been third for the past two years on the ITRC Donegal International Rally. Kelly is making a habit of close rally victories this year; in early March he won the Irish National Championship Mayo Rally by just one-tenth-of-a-second from Eddie Doherty.

Callum Devine, winner last year, was odds-on favourite to repeat his Circuit win again in 2026. The Claudy driver led Josh Moffett by 26 seconds after the four stages on day one of the two-day rally. Then as Moffett closed the gap to 2.7 seconds, Devine, under pressure, slid off into a field on the second run over the events longest stage, the 14 miles of SS9 Brantry Lough on day two. Callum lost almost 6 minutes and dropped from 1st to 11th place, but he was fastest on the final three stages and eventually finished eighth in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

The 2026 McKinney Competitons UAC Circuit of Ireland Rally was round three of the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Championship and round two of the Brown & Brown Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Championship. Based in Dungannon Co. Tyrone for the third consecutive year, there were four stages totalling 32.34 miles on Good Friday 3rd April and a further eight on Saturday (4th) totalling 82.51 miles. The ITRC competitors would tackle all 12 stages but the NI Championship participants would only score points on the Saturday stages.

The weather in Dungannon was typical for an early Easter, all four seasons in two days! Friday wasn’t too bad but Saturday was very wet all morning and then conditions were slightly better in the afternoon. STORM DAVE was forecast to hit the area around 2pm but actually; it didn’t really materialise at all. The winds remained light for the entire event!

For my contribution to the 2026 Circuit of Ireland, I acted as start radio operator on SS6/9 Brantry Lough on the Saturday. At 14.17 miles this was the longest stage of the rally. The first run was 50 minutes late starting due to marshalling issues. We eventually got up and running and the stage ran smoothly. A total of 105 cars started and 100 finished. Then the competitors returned for stage nine. It was here that Devine had his excursion, handing the rally lead to Moffett. A couple of issues led to stage stoppages and we eventually ran out of road-closed time so not all the remaining competitors were able to start the stage. We were stood down at around 3.30 pm and I was back home in Bangor around an hour later. Lots of our marshals and officials were assisting over the two days.

There were 87 starters in the main COI event and 47 finishers. In the “Saturday Only” Rally; 28 started and 20 finished while in the Junior Rally on Saturday, 8 cars started and 6 finished. David Kelly scored top points in the ITRC, the third different winner in three events. In the NI Championship, Sam Moffett driving his Hyundai i20 was best finisher (4th overall) with Jonny Greer’s Toyota GR Yaris next up in 7th place.

The NI Championship now on a break until Round 3; Loughgall Stages Rally on Saturday 4 July. Greer still leads, but is only 2 points ahead of Moffett with Aaron McLaughlin, Alan Smyth and Stuart Biggerstaff close behind. Shaping up to be a classic local championship this year!

By the way, COI organisers, Ulster Automobile Club, have an exhibition (The Birth of Irish Motor Racing) celebrating over 100 years of Motorsport at the North Down Museum in Bangor from now until 9th August. Could be worth a visit, and it’s FREE!

2-In-Row for Taka & Aaron!

Takamoto Katsuta and his County Tyrone co-driver, Aaron Johnston, won the Croatia Rally early last month. Having also won the previous round, the Safari Rally Kenya, the pair led the WRC before round five; Rally Islas Canarias (Rally of Spain) at the end of April. This was the first time since Terry Harryman partnered Ari Vatanen way back in 1985 that a Northern Ireland co-driver led the WRC!

In the Gran Canaria ultra-smooth-tarmac event, part-time driver Sebastien Ogier was back and won from Elfyn Evans. Sami Pajari was third and Katsuta fourth, all of them in Toyota Yaris’s. The three Hyundai i20’s of Fourmaux, Neuville and Sordo were well beaten and finished fifth, sixth and seventh. M-Sport’s Ford Puma Nothern Ireland drivers had mixed fortunes, Josh McErlean was eighth, but Jon Armstrong had a challenging event, he had two incidents which dropped him back to finish eleventh at in the end of four days of fast and furious competition.

With regards to the Championship, Evans leads, but only by two points from Katsuta as they head for the gravel of round number six; Rally Portugal (7-10 May)

Looking Back

Marshalling Memories

40 Years Ago…1986

Amazingly it’s now been 40 YEARS since David Llewellin & Phil Short won the 1986 Rothmans Circuit of Ireland Rally in the famous white MG Metro 6R4. It was a rare International victory for the “sometimes temperamental” Group B supercar. This was the UAC’s Golden Jubilee Circuit (the first real one having run at Easter in 1936). An entry of 69 included both superstars & supercars and after one of the toughest Circuits in years, Llewellin emerged victorious when many others fell by the wayside during the marathon 5-day rally. Russell Brooks was a superb second in his 2WD Opel Manta with Austin McHale finishing third in a similar car. Only 33 cars finished the 51-stage event. The rally was a round of three major championships, the European, British and Irish Tarmac. I was part of the timekeeping team.

Davy Francis in his Mk.2 Escort was the class of the field at the Craigmore Quarry round of the Northern Ireland Loose Sprint Championship. Mid Antrim MC staged the Randalstown event at which we were marshalling. Jackie Harris was second in his MG Metro while George Robinson finished third in his usual Toyota Starlet.

At Ballycastle Forest last month Mid Antrim held a six-stage Single Venue Rally. BMMC (NI) were marshalling the event which saw John Kennedy fastest on all stages in a Vauxhall Chevette HSR. George Robinson was second in the Starlet followed by Dessie McCartney’s Talbot Sunbeam.

North Ulster Car Club ran their Conecrusher Rally for the second time. Starting at 10pm on Friday 3rd May in Ballymena Showgrounds, the rally ran through the night, finishing in Cushendun at 8am on the Saturday morning. The 20-stage gravel event covered 70 stage miles in the forests of Counties Antrim and Derry. We were running a stage. Those were the days my friend! Winners were George Robinson and Dermot Carey in their ultra successful Toyota Starlet.

30 Years Ago…1996

Steven Finlay won the AA Circuit of Ireland in his Escort Cosworth from Andrew Nesbitt’s Toyota Celica. Liam O’Callaghan, also in a Celica, was third while Kenny McKinstry took victory on the NI Championship Easter Stages event. I was Chief Timekeeper for the second year and the rally was based in Bangor with a mid-point halt in Limerick.

20 Years Ago…2006

Billy Stevenson from Newtownards won the “Spirit of the Rally” award for his contribution to the three-day 2006 Circuit of Ireland. The then BMMC member was second (just 3 seconds behind the winner) in the Historic Rally, which ran on Easter Sunday and Monday, driving his 1959 Ford Anglia. Prior to his event, Billy also acted as one of my Timekeepers on day one (Saturday) for the International event.

Once again I was Chief Timekeeper on the 2006 Meteor Circuit of Ireland. Based in Londonderry, the rally was a round of the Irish Tarmac Championship. Everything went according to plan with only a few minor hiccups, which were easily sorted. Eugene Donnelly won the rally in his Toyota Corolla WRC. Almost all the 17 stages ran bang on time over the three days with no timekeeping issues reported. 55 cars started and 36 finished.

10 Years Ago…2016

Marty McCormack and his niece Caron were the winners of the NI Championship Tour of the Sperrins. The local pair were in a Skoda Fabia S2000 which wasn’t the most powerful car to start the gravel rally. Magherafelt & District MC put together a total of 9 stages, some of which hadn’t been used for years. We were covering radio at the start of SS3/7 Wolf’s Hill in the Davagh Forest complex. There were 72 starters and 47 finishers. Our club also covered rescue, stage marshalling and timekeeping.

Rally Diary

Sat. 6th June
Tyrone Stages @ Benone

A round of the 2026 Border Championship this 14-stage tarmac event is promoted by Cookstown MC. We have been asked for assistance. Check with organisers for more information.

Sat. 4th July
Loughgall Stages Rally

Round 3 of the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship

Six closed-road stages (2 run three times) close to Loughgall village in Co.Armagh. Organised by North Armagh MC and running as a tribute to William Fullerton who sadly passed away in January. William was COC on this event for many years. We will be covering rescue, radio, timekeeping and stage marshalling. Sign-on remotely via rallyscore.net

ABERDEEN FOR WRC?

Apparently Rally GB is set to return to the World Rally Championship. MSUK and the Scottish government are pushing for a gravel event based in Aberdeen. Not since Wales Rally GB in 2019 has there been a round of the WRC in the British Isles. With Elfyn Evans leading this year’s championship (yet again) interest is high for a return to the top tier of rallying in GB. The choice of Aberdeen is some what controversial. The northerly City can experience extreme weather conditions, very very cold in winter and recently Aberdeen has been described as “the dullest City in Britain” with very little sunshine. Despite this the stages in the area are in good condition and it will be interesting to see how the bid develops. It is possible that Rally GB could return as early as next year.

Meanwhile, it would appear that Motorsport Ireland are ramping up THEIR efforts to secure funding for a sealed-surface Rally Ireland return to the WRC. Talks had stalled as government backing was not forthcoming for submission of an event into the 2027 calendar. However, there is a renewed push from MI bosses to engage with the government and to clear the way for a return in the near future. If successful, the earliest Rally Ireland could realistically return to the WRC would be in 2028 or 2029, twenty years since the last time.

To have ONE round of the World Rally Championship back in the British Isles would be fantastic, to have TWO would be amazing!

CREIGHTON & REGAN FOR ERC

Northern Ireland pairing William Creighton and Liam Regan are set to compete in the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship. The current British Rally Champions have landed a lucrative deal with Stellantis Motorsport for a full season - starting in a Citroen C3 Rally2 before moving into the all-new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2! The duo will contest the seven-round series (5 asphalt 2 gravel) starting in April with the Andalusia Rally. This is fantastic opportunity for the Moira/Belfast pair who will continue to be supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and by Michelin.

WRC LATEST

On Rally Sweden last month, Toyota Yaris’s dominated the snow event taking the top four places. Elfyn Evans won for the third time and leads the WRC heading for round three, the Safari Rally, which runs from 12-15 March In Kenya. Hyundai were outclassed, their three i20’s finishing fifth, sixth and seventh. Let’s hope they can offer some sort of challenge to Toyota, otherwise the 2026 WRC is in danger of becoming a one-make-only series!

In the all-Northern Ireland battle at M-Sport Ford, Jon Armstrong was outstanding on his first Rally1 outing in Sweden, bringing his Puma home in eight place. In spite of loosing time with a snow-bank encounter on the very first stage, Armstrong was faster than Thierry Neuville on two of the final day’s Sunday stages. The more experienced M-Sport driver, Josh McErlean, was ninth overall after suffering two punctures on Friday, the first full day, and then incurring more problems with his Puma Rally1 on the Saturday. WRC Round 3 Safari Rally Kenya takes place from 12-15 March. How will Jon & Josh get on?

FIRST LOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown kicked off the stage rally season here in NI last month. On the last day of winter, Saturday 28 February, a surprisingly low entry of 43 cars started round one of the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge. The rally, run as the final round of the 2025 challenge back in November, attracting 71 starters. Organised by Omagh MC, there were 10 gravel tests in the usual forests close to the Co.Tyrone town of Fivemiletown. Conditions were wet and slippery very. It had rained almost every day during January and February.

The rally was won by 2024 winners, Strabane man Niall McGonigle and co-driver Caolan McKenna from Ballinamallard in their VW Polo GTI R5. They finished well ahead of two of the latest spec Skoda Fabia RS Rally2’s driven Vivian Hamill and David Condell respectively. Local man Shane McGirr was the top two-wheel finisher in sixth place with his unique Lada Riva. There were 36 finishers. I know BMMC/BRMC was well represented covering rescue and stage marshalling, unfortunately I couldn’t make this one. The Forest Challenge now takes a break until round two, the Lakeland Stages in September.

RALLY DIARY

Sat. 7th March
RACE & RALLY STAGES @ BISHOPSCOURT

• Round 1 of the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

Organisers are Ballynahinch & District MC. Sign-on via rallyscore.net or at the venue; Bishopscourt Race Circuit in Co.Down from 7.30 - 8am. The rally starts at 9am. We are providing timekeepers and stage marshals.

Fri. 3rd-Sat 4th April.
CIRCUIT OF IRELAND RALLY

• Round 3 of the 2026 NAPA Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
• Round 2 of the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship

Organised by the UAC and sponsored by McKinney Competitions, the COI returns to Dungannon for the third year in succession. Leg 1 on Good Friday consists of four stages (2 run twice). Leg 2 comprises of a further eight tests (2 run three times and 1 run twice) on the Saturday. The ITRC competitors will contest all 12 stages while the NI Championship competitors will join them for the eight Saturday stages.

Full details of the 2026 McKinney Competitions Circuit of Ireland Rally can be found on the Sportity app..Passcode: COI2026.