Fisher nets big catch

History was made on Sunday with the Fisher name being inscribed once again of the famous Galway International Rally steering-wheel trophy after many years.

It was a red-letter day for Alastair Fisher, nephew of the legendary Bertie Fisher and co-driver Gordon Noble as they took their first-ever international win with victory on the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally.

At the end of nine very tough special stages near Loughrea, they had just over 20 seconds to spare over Sam Moffett and James Fulton in second; with Donagh Kelly and Conor Foley in third.

This was Fisher’s first time competing in a VW Polo R5, having campaigned in a Ford Fiesta for a number of years, and he immediately took to the new car to record a start-to-finish victory.

Moffett was also out in a new car having made the switch to a Hyundai i20 R5, and snatched second place on the final stage, pipping Kelly and Foley’s VW Polo by less than two seconds.

There was disappointment for fans and organisers alike with the late overnight withdrawal on Saturday of 2016 and 2017 winner and top seeds, Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy, for personal reasons.

However, the action was relentless from the start with Fisher taking an early lead on the opening test at Tynagh, followed by Kelly. But it was on the second stage at Duniry where Fisher opened a sizeable gap to 18.3 seconds; and from there, the Fermanagh driver controlled the race and kept the others at bay throughout the day.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.