Buckley eyes championship lead at Raven’s Rock Rally
London-based Rockfield co-driver Shane Buckley is firmly in contention for the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship title as the series heads for its fourth round this weekend.
The Carrick on Suir Motor Club’s Raven’s Rock Rally, based in Waterford City with stages in South County Kilkenny, marks the halfway point of the championship, and a strong performance could see the Kerry man leading the standings.
Buckley currently sits second in the co-driver’s standings with 47 points, three points adrift of championship leader Tom Murphy.
His impressive season so far has been alongside driver Sam Moffett in their Hyundai i20 Rally2.
The pair finished second in Cavan which backed up their third place overall finish on the Circuit of Kerry.
While they finished eighth in the opening round in Longford, they effectively scored fifth-placed points due to three drivers and navigators not being registered for the championship.
The Raven’s Rock Rally presents an opportunity for Buckley and Moffett to seize the championship lead.
However, they face stiff competition, particularly from Murphy’s driver, Eddie Doherty, who will benefit from home advantage on the familiar Kilkenny stages.
They also face Moffett’s brother Sam and his Abbeyfeale co-driver Keith Moriarty who are the defending National Rally Champions.
Following the Raven’s Rock, the championship moves to Sligo for its fifth round, marking the beginning of the second half of the season.
His Killarney and District Motor Club colleague Noel O’Sullivan is currently leading the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Following the recent Donegal International Rally, Welsh driver Meirion Evans heaped praise on his Milltown co-driver Ger Conway, after they secured second on the iconic event.
“Overall, it was a very positive weekend,” said Evans. “We kept on the lead pace over the three days and never put a mark on the car, which is good. Thanks to Castrol, the boys in the team, and everyone who helped get us to Donegal, and thanks to Ger [Conway] who did an exceptional job on the notes. It’s nice when a long rally goes without any hiccups. It would have been nice to win, but considering the high-quality entry it wasn’t going to be easy, and I think we did a good job.”
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