Northern Ireland’s World Rally Champions

At last Northern Ireland can celebrate, not one, but two, World Champions! 25-year-old William Creighton from Moira and his Belfast co-driver Liam Regan have become the 2023 FIA Junior WRC Champions. At the Acropolis Rally in Greece last month the pair secured the title after a challenging three days. Retiring their Ford Fiesta Rally3 on day one with radiator damage they rejoined the rally and set fastest stage times on the remaining two days to finish fifth. It was enough, the NI crew finished the one-make championship 8 points ahead of their closest rivals after this the final round of the JWRC.

Creighton’s prize includes four arrive-and-drive outings in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 car in the 2024 WRC2 Championship plus 200 Pirelli tyres. The last World Rally Champion to come from Northern Ireland was Niall McShea. The Fermanagh man won the Production WRC title in 2004 with his Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

Bushwhacker Lights Up Tyrone Forests

Omagh Motor Club tried something different this year for their annual Bushwhacker Rally. The gravel event, widely known as the “Tyrone GP” always attracts a large entry to the classic West Tyrone stages. A total of 93 competitors lined up at the Omagh Showgrounds start on the evening of Friday 15th September. The difference in 2023 was that stages one and two were run in total darkness, the first time since 2002 that night stages were used on this particular rally (see looking back)

Stage one was the 4.6 miles of Carrickaholten which, despite a large amount of spectators, ran without incident. SS2 Lough Bradan (7.09 miles) had also attracted a huge crowd, reminding some of the good old days when night stages were a feature of Rally GB. Lots of cars went off here but 83 crews made it back to the overnight halt in Omagh.

The leaders after Leg 1 were Omagh brothers Patrick & Stephen O’Brien whose Skoda Fabia R5 was 2.7 seconds ahead of the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Cathan McCourt and Liam Moynihan. The weather had been dry and both stages were in perfect condition.

On Saturday morning 91 cars were able to start Leg 2 of the event which would see the crews tackle 3 daylight stages. SS3 was the first run over the 9.61 miles of Killeter. Then it was on to SS4 Carrickaholten 2 which was run in the opposite direction to Friday. I was on start radio here for the day while Victor was on mid-point. Eighty two competitors started the test right on schedule. Again the weather held up and remained dry but cold all day. SS5 was Lough Bradan 2, also run in reverse direction to the Friday night. O’Brien was just 1.1 seconds ahead of McCourt at the end of leg 2. These two were 20 ahead of Jason Mitchell in third.

Leg 3 started with SS6, a second run of the long Killeter stage. With the gravel roads still in perfect condition, the first four cars were so fast that they beat the “bogey” time so the leading positions remained the same. Then on to our penultimate Carrickaholten 3 stage. O’Brien beat McCourt by 2.5 seconds here to effectively win the rally because the bogey was also beaten by the leading crews on the final Lough Bradan 3 stage. Jason Mitchell & Paddy McCrudden were third in their VW Polo GTI R5, 24.8 seconds back. Fourth place went to the similar Polo of Mark Donnelly/Sean Ferris.

This was the O’Brien brothers hat trick of Bushwhacker Rally wins and 30 years since their father Kevin co-drove Robbie McGurk to win the 1993 event in an Opel Manta 400. Top 2-wheel-drive finishers were Donall Sweeney & Kyle Diffin in 16th place with their Toyota Corolla AE86. Altogether 73 cars finished. BMMC/BRMC members were out in force over the two days covering rescue, recovery, timekeeping, radio and stage marshalling.

Omagh MC expressed their thanks to everyone who helped out on the event. All 8 stages ran despite the popularity of the night tests which resulted in delays on Friday evening as spectators were moved into safe locations on SS1/2. Having said that, the large crowds cooperated well with the officials.

The McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally was the third and final round of the 2023 McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge. Maximum points were scored by Darragh Cairns from Sion Mills who has been declared winner of the Challenge from Andy Magee and Ryan Caldwell. Shane Byrne was the series winning co-driver. Cairns and his co-driver-for-the-day, Mark Preston, finished the Bushwhacker in 12th place overall with their Skoda Fabia R5.

Ryan Caldwell didn’t finish the Bushwhacker, but he still won the 2023 Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally Championship. All the Strabane man needed to do was start the Bushwhacker which was the penultimate round of the series. At 21 the Skoda Fabia R5 driver has become the youngest winner of this championship.

Looking Back 

Celebrating 40 years of my involvement with the Bushwhacker Rally.

First, a short history lesson!!

Omagh Motor Club ran the first Bushwhacker Rally as a 22 stage two-day closed-road tarmac event in 1975. Sponsored by Duckhams Oil, a maximum entry of 120 cars started the gruelling Co.Tyrone event. Ronnie McCartney and Mike Hart were the winners while Ronnie’s younger brother Dessie and co-driver Terry Harryman finished second in an identical Porsche Carrera. That one-off tarmac Bushwhacker became the template and forerunner of the now-famous Ulster Rally which started one year later in 1976 and of course still runs to this day.

As a result of all that, the 1976 Bushwhacker Rally became a gravel event using stages in Lough Bradan, Baronscourt and Gortin Glen Forests. The rally has remained in the West Tyrone forests since then, running normally in mid to late September. The Bushwhacker had been a key round of the important mixed-surface ANICC Northern Ireland Rally Championship since its revival in 1988 (originally running in a limited form from 1977-82) but that series became sealed-surface-only in 2022, and so the “whacker” is now a part of the three-round NI Forest Rally Challenge plus a round of the Motorsport Ireland Irish Forest Rally Championship has it has been since 2011.

40 Years Ago 1983

Hugh O’Brien & Patrick McCullagh in a Ford Escort Mk.2 were declared winners of the 1983 Castle Inn Bushwhacker Rally on Saturday 15th October. Unfortunately the event was cut short following a fatal accident. A spectator was hit by Bertie Fisher’s Opel Ascona at the finish of the Lough Bradan stage. 1983 was my first time marshalling on the event. Neil Boulton and I were covering the final time control in Castlederg. There were scheduled to be 14 stages and the entry list had 61 cars listed. Seamus McCanny was COC.

30 Years Ago 1993

We were timekeeping on the Woodlander Bushwhacker Rally on Saturday 25th September. As I said earlier, Robbie McGurk/Kevin O’Brien won in the Opel Manta 400. This was Robbie’s first hat trick of wins, the Omagh man would go on to win the rally for a record 8 times! James Gillen/Ken Sproule were second in the Meeke Orion RWD. There were 13 gravel stages. The rally was a round of the Maxol NI Championship which had already been won by Stephen Emerson on the Lakeland Stages earlier in the month. Gordon Noble was Clerk of the Course.

21 Years Ago 2002

Omagh Motor Club, under the then COC Declan McAleer, decided to run a two-day Bushwhacker Rally on September 27th/28th. Until then the gravel event had been a one-day round of the NI Rally Championship with around 10 short stages. Declan’s idea was to run three stages on the Friday evening, two short quarry tests near Drumquin and a 9-mile stage in Gortin Glen Forest Park which would be run in total darkness. The Saturday consisted of the usual 10 tests in Carrickaholten, Killeter and Lough Bradan.

We were timekeeping on both days with accommodation provided for all marshals & officials at the Ulster American Folk Park overnight halt. The rally was the penultimate round of the M.E. Crowe NI Championship. Sponsored by Molly Sweeney’s pub there were 113 entries. Robbie McGurk and Tony Kearns won the 2002 Bushwhacker in a Subaru Impreza WRC ‘99 beating the older Impreza 555 of Derek McGarrity/James McKee by 3 seconds on the final stage after the two were on identical times going into the 4.5 Lough Bradan test. McGarrity won the NI Championship.

10 Years Ago 2013

Derrick McGarrity/James McKee won the McKelvey Bushwhacker Rally for the second year running in their Subaru Impreza WRC S14. Ronnie McAleer was COC and there were 10 gravel stages on Saturday 28th September. Victor and I were timekeeping on the finish of SS1/6 Carrickaholten. Other club members were on duty as usual. I was taken ill towards the end of the day but still managed to finish my timing duties. There were around 100 starters. The rally was the penultimate of the 8 round Carryduff Forklift MSA NI Rally Championship. McGarrity and McKee won the series. The Bushwhacker was also the sixth and final round of the 2013 Valvoline Irish Forest Championship. Winner of that championship was Mick O’Brien in his Ford Focus WRC.

5 Years Ago 2018

There were 11 gravel stages on the McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally. Based in Omagh on Sat. 22 September at the Silverbirch Hotel with a service park in Aghyaran there were 110 starters. Joint COC’s were Ronnie McAleer & Lewis Boyd. We were covering radio, timekeeping, rescue and other marshalling duties as usual. Victor and I were timing the finish of the two Carrickaholten stages which both ran without incident. Omagh MC provided breakfast and dinner at the hotel. Winners were the new Valvoline Irish Forest Champions Josh Moffett and Stephen Thornton in their Ford Fiesta R5. As well as being the final round of the Irish series the Bushwhacker was also the penultimate round of the McGrady Insurance ANICC NI Rally Championship which was won by Derek McGarrity for a record eighth time.

Rally Diary

Sat. 14th October.
Glens of Antrim Targa Rally

Sponsored by Woodside Logistics Group. Based at Gracehill Golf Club near Ballymoney where the event will start and finish. There are 4 tests run twice and totalling 9 miles over mixed surfaces in Ballypatrick Forest. We are providing timekeepers and other marshals to assist organisers Mid Antrim Motor Club. Sign on at the event. First car due 10.30am.

Sat. 21st October.
Quinn Offsite Targa Rally

A new Targa event organised by  Magherafelt & District Motor Club. We will be providing help as usual. The first car leaves the start at 10.01 from The Elk Inn in Toomebridge. Officials and marshals can sign on at the start venue. There are 10 repeated tests run on mixed surfaces. More details on the organisers website.