Josh Moffett masters Cavan Stages Rally

CAPTION: Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship round three winners Andy Hayes and Josh Moffett at the finish of the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages on Sunday. Photo: Lorna Kennedy

Josh Moffett masters Cavan Stages Rally

Josh Moffett has claimed a start-to-finish victory at the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages Rally, the third round of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship.

The Co. Monaghan driver, with stand-in co-driver Andy Hayes, got his title bid back on track after a non-finish in Kerry earlier this year.

Hayes stepped in after defending national champion co-driver Keith Moriarty (Co. Limerick) had to withdraw due to illness.

Driving his Hyundai i20 R5, Moffett admitted that the “hit and miss” road conditions made it “very hard to commit”.

After six stages, he held a 19-second lead over his brother Sam, a dilemma he found difficult to navigate but held his nerve to take an 18.2 second victory.

Second place went to Sam Moffett (Co. Monaghan) and Shane Buckley (Co. Kerry) in their newer i20 Rally2.

 Despite an overshoot on stage five and pop-off valve issues hindering their progress, the Moffett/Buckley crew stated they were enjoying the challenging conditions, unlike much of the field.

The Hyundai crew enjoyed a day long battle with  Kevin Eves (Co. Donegal) and Chris Melley.

Theyeventually secured third place but had briefly moved into second place after eight stages.

However, a late charge by Sam won the balance back in favour of the Monaghan driver.

Eves and Melley recorded their best performance to date in their relatively new Ford Fiesta Rally 2. The Donegal driver claimed he was still learning the car.

Fourth position went to Robert Barrable (Co. Dublin), who had Paddy Robinson on the notes for the first time this year. Barrable, driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2, found it difficult to make the correct tyre choice in the ever-changing conditions.

Eddie Doherty (Co. Kilkenny) and Tom Murphy (Co. Limerick), winners of the previous round in Kerry, endured a tough day in their Skoda Fabia Rally2.

Handling issues in the morning were compounded by a gearbox drama in the middle loop, but they managed to hold onto fifth place.

Desi Henry (Derry) and Niall Burns (Co. Donegal), in just their second outing in a newly acquired Ford Fiesta Rally2 instead of their usual Citroen C3 Rally2, couldn’t replicate their podium finish from the 2023 event. Tyre choice proved to be their biggest issue in the fluctuating conditions, ultimately rewarding them with sixth place.

Ryan Loughran and Damien McGettigan had a steady run to finish seventh in their Ford Fiesta R5 Rally 2.

Triton Showers boss Paul  Barrett and Darragh Kelly secured eighth place, the first of the Citroen crews to cross the finish line. They felt they had a better flow through the middle loop, and this reflected in their times as they jumped from 15th after SS2 to eighth at the finish.

The top ten was completed by Matthew Boyle and Gary Byrne in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 in ninth, and Tommy Doyle and Liam Moynihan in a Hyundai Rally 2 in tenth.

There was a fierce battle for two-wheel drive honours, with Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan the masters of the tricky conditions. They brought their Ford Escort Mk2 home in 14^th place overall but they are not registered for national championship points.

Top score in the modified category went to Barry Morris and Dylan Doonan in their Darrian GTR who eventually emerged victorious over David Armstrong and Conor Mohan on a Toyota Starlet.

The Ford Escort of Chris Armstrong and Darren Curran were in the mix too but dropped from third in the class to fifth on the final stage.

Oran England, navigated by the experienced Damien Connolly, won the all-important Billy Coleman Award counting class 2 in his Ford Fiesta Rally4. This was his first time making his own notes.

Dylan Baskin and Jake Mahony were the junior winners in their Honda Civic while Oscar Mangan and Elva Roe won the Dacia Sandero Cup element of the rally.

The Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship now looks ahead to the Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club’s Raven’s Rock Rally, round four, in early July.

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