Kelly and Burns claim maiden National Rally Championship victory on Stonethrowers Rally
Donegal driver Eamonn Kelly and Sligo co-driver Niall Burns clinched their first overall Triton Showers National Rally Championship victory on the STS Group Stonethrowers Rally in Clonmel, piloting their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to a 1 minute 7 second win.
Cork duo Cal McCarthy and Brian Duggan brought their Citroën C3 Rally2 home second overall to secure a career-best national finish.
One of the standout drives of the rally went to modified winners Padraig Egan and Tomas Ryan. Pushing their Ford Escort Mk2 hard in slippery conditions, Egan put a rear-wheel-drive Escort onto an overall national podium alongside top-tier four-wheel-drive Rally2 machinery. Egan laid the foundation for that podium from middle service when he trailed McCarthy by just 0.9 seconds, positioning himself to strike when late drama hit the leaders.
Early pacesetters Kevin Eves and Chris Melly in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 set the speed through treacherous morning conditions before stopping on stage six. With the stage neutralised for safety, drive-throughs were issued for following crews and timing was taken from stage five, handing Kelly the rally lead.
Kelly kept a clean pace over the final loop to seal the win. McCarthy mounted a strong recovery from an opening-stage wheel strike to secure the runner-up spot.
Daniel Cronin and Padraig O’Donovan in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo spent most of the event holding second place overall despite managing an annoying gear-shift issue, but a stage seven puncture dropped them out of contention. Cronin’s setback opened the door for Egan to grab third overall by 32.3 seconds over James McCarville and Martin Brady in a Škoda Fabia RS.
Fourth overall marked a career-best national result for McCarville. Co-driver Brady made an overnight dash from Wales following the BRC Cambrian Rally to sit alongside McCarville in Tipperary.
Local favourite Roy White marked his return to home roads with fifth overall in his Rover S2000. Co-driver Des Cooney picked up the Robert Hughes Memorial Trophy as the highest-placed Tipperary Light Car and Motorcycle Club co-driver.
Jonathan Pringle and Pierce O’Callaghan brought their Ford Escort Mk2 home sixth overall. Pringle managed his pace with the Triton two-wheel-drive title battle against Barry McLoughlin in mind, successfully securing both the overall National Two-Wheel Drive Championship title and the National Ford Escort Challenge. Class 13 honours on the day went to Barry McLaughlin and Barry McBride in their Ford Escort Mk1, finishing 13th overall.
Michael Cahill and Derry Long in a Ford Escort Mk2 placed seventh, edging Brian Bolger and James McEneaney in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 by a mere 0.3 seconds. Stephen Greaney and Jonathan Folan recorded their best result in just their second outing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to take ninth, while Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon in a Ford Escort Mk2 completed the top ten.
In Class 4, Robert Cronin took the class victory on his debut drive in four-wheel-drive machinery steering a Ford Fiesta Rally3 alongside co-driver Paddy Heffernan. Early leaders Adrian Quinn Jr and Des Sherlock lost time with an overshoot on stage 5 and had to settle for second in their Renault Clio.
Class 2 delivered high drama in the fight for class honours, national points, and a prize drive to Hungary. Oran England and Darragh Mullen in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 overcame early brake bias problems to win the Class 2 event and wrap up the Motorsport Ireland National Class 2 title.
However, Danny Brady and Damien Sheridan in a Peugeot 208 finished second in class and secured Brady the overall 2026 Stellantis Cup Championship title and the international prize drive to Hungary.
In Class 2A, Oisin McShane and Niall Myers took the event win in their Peugeot 208 R2 . David Travers and co-driver Daniel Seaman finished second in class to wrap up the National Class 2A Championship title, a result that earned Travers an official nomination for the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Driver of the Year Award.
In the Historic category, Ray Breen and Damien Morrissey dominated in their Toyota Corolla WRC to take victory, setting times competitive enough to sit inside the top 20 overall field. Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy finished second in their BMW M3 E30, with Kelly battling through an ongoing shoulder injury.
The Junior Championship at the Stonethrowers Rally was won by Graham Roche and co-driver Trevor Roche in a Honda Civic cap off a brilliant campaign.
In the Dacia Sandero section of the event, Anthony O’Halloran and Cian Lynch took top honours on the day just 1.1 seconds ahead of Ulick Burke and Garret Burke.
Will Nolan and Robert Magee completed the podium in third, while Cillian Doherty and Lauren Doherty finished fourth to officially wrap up the overall Dacia Championship title.
The Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship awards presentation will take place on November 14 at the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow.
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