Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan secured victory at last weekend’s FMCCL Down Rally, round nine of the Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship!
Driving their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, Kelly snatched victory on the final stage of the event after Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull slipped briefly off the road.
While Kelly set the pace on the opening stage, it was McKinstry who snatched the lead after stage three when he powered into a six second lead. Then Kelly returned fire, reducing his lead to just two seconds after the fifth stage, when McKinstry lost time with a puncture.
With just two stages remaining, it was all to play for, and McKinstry was fastest through the penultimate test, increasing his lead to three seconds.
But the final stage was a repeat run through Castlewellan, the same stage that saw McKinstry lose time with a puncture earlier in the day. And for the Banbridge pilot, Castlewellan was to be his Achilles heel once again.
The McKinstry Subaru slid off the road during the test, and precious seconds ticked away as the crew struggled to get back on track. Around 20 seconds were lost before they were on their way again, but their hopes of victory were dashed.
Instead, Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan arrived at the finish victorious in their Evo 9. They were also the leading Sunoco Fuels Group N crew, and sealed victory by 14 seconds, while Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull were forced to settle for second.
Stephen and Suzanne Wright completed the top three in their Mitsubishi, with Raymond Mason and Peter Martin fourth. Trevor Ferguson and David McElroy finished fifth while Emma McKinstry and Tommy Speers completed the top six. Emma also sealed the Ladies’ Championship title.
Topping the two-wheel-drive category, Oran Donnelly and Eamon Gallagher took the award as well as seventh overall, with James and Heather Kennedy next in line ahead of Paul Killen and Richard Nelson.
Finally, in the Montgomery Motorsport Historic category, Andy Johnson and Jim McSherry were the sole finishers in their Vauxhall Chevette.
The final round of the Hankook N.I. Rally series takes crews to County Antrim for the Glens of Antrim Rally. Set to take place on 5 November, more details are available from www.nirally.com.
Down Rally Top 10 Results
1 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Lancer Evo 9) 38m59s
2 Kenny McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Impreza WRC) 39m13s
3 Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Lancer Evo 6) 40m42s
4 Raymond Mason/Peter Martin (Lancer Evo 9) 40m49s
5 Trevor Ferguson/David McElroy (Impreza N12) 41m53s
6 Emma McKinstry/Tommy Speers (Impreza WRC) 42m17s
7 Oran Donnelly/Eamon Gallagher (Escort Mk2) 42m34s
8 James Kennedy/Heather Kennedy (Escort Mk2) 43m50s
9 Paul Killen/Richard Nelson (Escort Mk2) 43m59s
10 James Coleman/Kaye Shanahan (Escort Mk2) 44m01s
Image courtesy of Martin McCorriston/RALLYPICS.ORG
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