Adrien Storms To The “Four” On Ulster Rally
He came, he saw, he conquered! A “fourgone” conclusion it might have been, but Adrien Fourmaux had to work hard for his Ulster Rally win. Fresh from second place in WRC2 on Rally Finland, the French “superstar” and co-driver Alexandre Coriander led the BRC/ITRC event from start to finish in their “works” M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2. In the end they were 47.7 seconds ahead of second place Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan’s VW Polo R5 GTI.
The two-day Modern Tyres Ulster Rally ran in very difficult conditions, particularly on Leg 1 (Friday) when Storm Betty threatened to disrupt the event. Two 8-mile stages in Co.Down; SS1/3 Slieve Roe and SS2/4 Banbridge North, were used twice, the second runs of which were in darkness. Strong winds and “biblical” rain greeted competitors on those second passes but, perhaps surprisingly, 70 of the 85 starters made it unscathed to the overnight halt in Newry. This however did not include last year’s winner Meirion Evans, the Welshman crashed his Polo out on stage two. At the end of Leg One, Fourmaux led Devine by 7.4 seconds with Cathan McCourt/Dean O’Sullivan in third.
Leg 2 on Saturday consisted of three stages run twice in counties Down and Armagh; SS5/8 Shinn Bridge and SS6/9 Tyrone’s Ditches were both 12 miles in length then SS7/10 Mount Pleasant was 8 miles long. 81 crews started Leg 2.
Conditions had improved as the storm passed through overnight. I was on start radio for Tyrone’s Ditches, as I had been last year. The stage, starting just north of Newry, was exactly the same this time round.
The first run was wet and windy with lots of standing water which caught out some of the 69 competitors still running in the main event plus one of the four cars in a separate Ulster Junior Rally for Irish crews tagged on behind for Saturday only.
Second time round conditions had improved, the wind and rain had gone and bright sunshine arrived! Typical Ulster Rally, four seasons in two days!
A few of the 59 remaining cars went off this time, but nothing serious, and we were finished for 4.30pm.
All marshals and officials on the event, many of whom were BMMC members, were congratulated and praised for their outstanding efforts in a closing statement from COC Wayne Turkington. “This was a tremendous effort from everyone involved in possibly the worst conditions ever seen on the Ulster Rally. The rally was a great success and despite everything all 10 stages ran almost to schedule”.
As far as I am aware, there was only one major incident which halted SS5 after around 50 competitors had completed. Two crew members were taken to hospital when their car crashed heavily. To date I am unaware of their condition.
Adrien Fourmaux won the Ulster Rally and took maximum points in the British Rally Championship. Sadly only six registered BRC crews competed in Ulster, two in category one (Garry Pearson/Daniel Barritt finished 8th overall in their VW Polo R5) and four junior Rally4 cars. This would suggest major problems with this series. Kyle White won the Junior BRC section in his Peugeot 208 Rally4.
Fourmaux did not contest the fifth BRC closed-road round in Aberystwyth (September 2-3) and may not appear on the final two gravel events. The works M-Sport driver could still however be crowned 2023 British Rally Champion. He has a huge points advantage having won the first four rounds. His only challenger on the first two rallies, the four-time champion Keith Cronin, has since withdrawn from the rest of the series due to work related commitments.
In contrast to the BRC, the Irish Tarmac Championship is thriving. 2023 saw huge and competitive entry lists. The Ulster Rally was the final round and second overall was more than enough to secure the title for Callum Devine and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan who won the BRC last year with Osian Price. Devine scored maximum points on five of the seven ITRC rounds this year.
The recently crowned Northern Ireland Rally Champion, Jonny Greer and Niall Burns were third in Ulster, their Citroen C3 Rally2 having overtaken Cathan McCourt’s Fiesta Rally2 on the penultimate stage. Fifth place went to the Polo R5 of Jason Mitchell/Paddy McCrudden ahead of Robert Barrable and Gordon Noble’s Citroen C3 Rally2. Outgoing ITRC champion Josh Moffett and co-driver Andy Hayes were back in seventh place with their Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Top 2WD crew were Jason Black/Karl Egan who finished 10th in their Toyota Starlet. Just 51 cars finished the main event plus the 3 juniors.
Motorsport Ireland In WRC Talks
Any remote hopes of a 2024 WRC Rally Northern Ireland appear to have faded completely, due to the continuing unstable political situation in NI and a lack of finance. Now however, Motorsport Ireland President, Aiden Harper, has revealed that THEY are currently in talks with WRC promoters who are keen to see a World Championship event on the island of Ireland as soon as 2025. Although lots of work is required, Harper is hopeful that support can be found both privately and from the Irish Government to back what he sees as a three-year deal. The cost is estimated to be between 10-12 million euros. Rally Ireland was a cross-border round of the World Rally Championship and took place in 2007 and again 2009. It was based in Sligo but hasn’t run since. Of course there hasn’t been a WRC round in the British Isles since Wales Rally GB in 2019.
Ironically, I actually spoke to Aiden Harper during the Ulster Rally and suggested to him that the three-day Donegal International Rally would be a perfect fit for the WRC. Little did I know then that a few days later news of Motorsport Ireland talks with the promoters would surface! Coincidence or what? Anyway watch this space for further developments!
LATEST NEWS: I am just back home after attending the LAKELAND STAGES RALLY on Saturday 2nd September.
Organised by Enniskillen Motor Club the six-stage gravel event was round five of the 2023 Irish Forest Rally Championship and round two of the McGrady Insurance ANICC Forest Rally Challenge. BMMC members were out in force on SS1/4 Belmore Forest (3.56 miles). We covered rescue and Victor and I were on radio duty. Just a week before the rally, the club were in a panic, only 35 cars had entered but thankfully that rose to 72 by the closing date and the event was saved. Sponsored by Trailer parts & spares.com all stages ran to schedule and I was back home in Bangor (106 miles away) by 5.35pm. We had a great day out in glorious sunshine for once. Both our stages started on time and there were just a few retirements but nothing serious. 49 cars finished the rally and the winners were Patrick and Stephen O’Brien in their Skoda Fabia R5. Cathan McCourt/Liam Moynihan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) were second and Jonny Leonard/Niall Burns third, also in a Fiesta Rally2.
Rally Diary
Fri.15th—Sat.16th September
Bushwhacker Rally
- Round 3 : McGrady Insurance ANICC Forest Rally Challenge
- Round 6 : Motorsport Ireland Irish Forest Rally Championship
Organised by Omagh Motor Club, this is sure to be one of the highlights of the year. In a departure from the usual one-day event, the McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally will start at 9pm on the Friday evening from Omagh Showgrounds. There will be two classic gravel stages run in total darkness. SS1 Lough Braden and SS2 Carrickaholten. Then on Saturday the remaining crews will tackle three daylight stages twice; Lough Braden ( in reverse direction from Friday) Carrickaholten (again reversed) and Killeter Forest. Rally HQ and a central service park are housed at the Showgrounds. We will be out in force over the two days, providing rescue, recovery, radio cover, timekeepers and stage marshals as usual.
