The Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship has a real fast and furious finish this season, with four rounds taking place in the space of six weeks and most of them on the famous fast and flowing stages of Northern Ireland. None are quite as fast and furious as the Omagh Motor Club’s Bushwhacker Rally, which hosts Round 5 of the Championship. With the average speed on stages touching 130km/h on last year’s event, the Bushwhacker will provide crews with a typically flat out challenge that will test their outright speed. 2022 Champion Patrick O’Brien leads the field away as he searches for a fifth consecutive Bushwhacker win, but is not registered for Forest Championship points.

Mark Donnelly and Martin Brady are our polesitters for the ‘Omagh Grand Prix’, taking a three point lead in the series following their highly impressive victory on the Enniskillen-based Lakeland Stages. Debuting their new Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, the duo took five of six stage wins to take their second victory of the season. They are now in the driver’s seat in the overall section of the Championship and have kept themselves match fit with a strong performance on the Woodpecker Rally in Wales, coming home second after leading the rally earlier in the day.

Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes now lie second in the Championship after a Lakeland Stages Rally that didn’t quite go their way. Their performance on the second loop, which saw them overhaul Stephen Dickson and Ben Teggart for third, could prove to be important once the dropped score comes into play but they will be hoping to extract the maximum out of their Hyundai i20 R5 this weekend. Jordan and Paul Hone sit third after their third second place finish of the season and showed some very strong pace in Enniskillen. The Claudy pairing are in a good position to continue challenging for the title, although their DNF in Cork means they are at something of a disadvantage compared to their rivals. Gareth Mimnagh and Niall McCullagh also remain well-placed to capitalise on any mistakes ahead of them.

In the 2WD category, the modifieds seem ready to strike back after an early season dominated by the Rally4 cars. Jack Harris and Aaron O’Regan remain in the lead of the championship but with their focus shifting to securing Class 2 honours and the Northern rallies favouring the more powerful modified cars, they will be looking over their shoulders. Paddy McToal and Connor O’Lone were the standout performers in Enniskillen, setting some blistering stage times in their Ford Escort MkII. Even they seemed to be taken by surprise by their performance as they took their second victory of the season. This has propelled them up the standings but it could turn out to be too little too late as the ball is firmly in Harris’ court.

In the classes, Harris and O’Regan will likely have their eyes on another strong points finish in Class 2 but will likely be pushed hard by Jack Byrne and Dylan Harrington, who have been among their closest challengers this year. Class 13 remains one of the most hotly contested in the Championship. Hugh McQuaid’s second place in the 2WD category on the Lakelands also gave him a maximum points score in the class, but he is only four points clear of Shane McCanney. Mark Stewart and John Shanahan are also going well in the class and will be in Omagh, meaning Class 13 is likely to offer an entertaining battle once again. Class 14 is a three-way battle between Paddy McToal, Shane McGirr and Mickey Conlon and while Conlon’s consistency has seen him lead the class so far, McToal and McGirr are likely to go very well on the Bushwhacker and keep the class battle going to the season’s end.

Class 11F has been turned on its head following the Lakeland Stages. Mickey Joe Browne’s non-score has dropped him back to third behind both Eugene Ward and Christy Butler. With all three travelling to Omagh, the Bushwhacker could prove a decisive one for the championship. In Class 2A, Tommy Furlong and Patrick O’Sullivan and Francis Kelly and Charlotte Egan are now separated by just a single point in their similar Ford Fiesta R2Ts and will continue their year-long battle.

Following the Bushwhacker, the Championship will head to Portlaoise on the 4th of October for the inaugural Laois Forestry Rally which promises to be a very exciting addition to the calendar, before the Dogleap Forest Rally in Limavady will host the final round on the 17th. 

Want to keep up to date with the Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship? Check out the Championship Website at www.IRLForestRally.com, the online Sportity Noticeboard at IrishForestChamp, or check out the Championship on Facebook & Instagram.