Moffett and Hayes triumph in rain-lashed Galway Rally

JOSH Moffett and Andy Hayes took their first win on the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally after an impressive drive in extremely difficult conditions.

At the end of the 15-stage event their Hyundai i20 R5 had 14.1 seconds to spare over Welsh crew Meirion Evans & Jonathan Jackson’s VW Polo R5. Evans had led after the first stage, but Moffett moved into a lead he was never to relinquish, despite strong pressure from his rivals over the course of the weekend. The final podium position eventually went to Callum Devine & Brian Hoy in a Fiesta R5, 14 seconds further back from Evans.

Alastair Fisher and Cathan McCourt both saw their challenges hampered by punctures over the weekend, but nothing can take from Moffett’s superb drive. The attrition rate was high due the inclement weather conditions, and a lot of credit is due to the marshals who braved the most appalling conditions possible on the first day with gale force winds and incessant heavy rain to keep the rally running on time.

Meirion Evans was quickest out of the blocks on the opening Kiltormer stage as the forecasted rain hit just before the first stage. This made life difficult for the crews, but they all treated the stage with caution and there were no major dramas. Fisher had stalled on the start line and lost some seconds, but it was Moffett who was closest to Evans, just 2.2 seconds behind.

The second stage at Foolagh near Tynagh saw Moffett move into a lead he was never to lose. Devine was in third but already 17 seconds behind while McCourt & Fisher made up the top five. Donagh Kelly was in wiper bothers and clipped a wall losing over 20 seconds and dropping to tenth overall. The third Limehill test had been shortened to just over two miles due to a funeral on the stage, but Fisher still forced his way into third place while Kelly dropped out of the top ten with more time lost due to the faulty wipers.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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