Heartbreak for Buckley as Sligo crash ends National hopes
Rockfield co-driver Shane Buckley’s bid for this year’s Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship took a massive blow on Sunday when he crashed out of the Sligo Stages Rally on the final stage.
Buckley, who headed the co-driver standings going into the weekend thanks to a strong fourth overall on the Raven’s Rock Rally, had switched seats for Sligo.
He partnered rising Donegal talent David Kelly in a late-entered Volkswagen Polo R5 after regular driver Sam Moffett was unavailable.
The new pairing gelled instantly and led the rally after the opening stage.
A tit-for-tat battle with Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy (Skoda Fabia) followed, with the lead swapping hands multiple times through the nine-stage event.
However, disaster struck on the final loop when Kelly and Buckley slid off the road and into retirement, handing the victory to Doherty. It was his second win of the season after winning the Circuit of Kerry in March.
The result also gives Murphy a healthy boost at the top of the overall standings with just three rounds remaining.
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Kerry Motorsport News 