As the sun scorched and the dust flew, it would be an imperious drive by Derek Mackarel & Eamonn Creedon that would see them return to Enniskillen to top the podium of Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship crews competing on the fourth round of the 2024 series, the Lakeland Stages Rally.
Topping the standings heading into the first of two northern events on the Calendar, Mackarel & Creedon knew how vital it was to score strongly while some of their closest title rivals either missed the event or chose to run in non-scoring classes. It was a tight start though, as by the end of the opening two stages the pair in their Ford Fiesta R5 led rivals David Condell & Mick Coady by just 0.9 seconds.
While the opening stages were both tricky and technical but extremely short, both just under 4km in distance, the main action of the day was to be played out on the monstrous Ballintempo, running in its full configuration at a mammoth 26km. Mackarel would drop the hammer while Condell was left to rue a pair of costly spins that would cost vital time, especially as the pair would only be separated by 1.5 seconds over the afternoon loop.
Finishing in third place amongst the registered crews and taking home the 2WD award on the event, a remarkable third victory on four events this season, were Shane McGirr & Denver Rafferty, they brought their Lada VFTS home with just 7.2 seconds to spare over Hugh McQuaid & Declan Casey in their Ford Escort MK2, with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy star Craig Rahill & Conor Smith finishing third amongst an incredibly strong field of crews.
In Class 2, Rahill raced to a dominant victory, but a resilient drive to make it to the finish for Cian Caldwell & Liam Egan saw them score vital points that see them jump up to second in the standings, while it was a disappointing day for Ryan MacHugh & Declan Boyle who saw their day come to an end on Stage 3.
In Class 2A, John Ward & Brian Martyn drove smartly to retain the class lead, beating out nearest rivals Jack Kennedy & Dylan Harrington on the testing Lakeland route, an event both were competing on for the very first time.
For James Dunphy & Alan McCormick, the long spin North was rewarded as they wrapped up Class 4 in style and can now enjoy the final two rounds of the season knowing their crown is secure. Elsewhere in the class, it was a frustrating experience for Lukasz Czapnik & Piotr Szadkowski as their Mitsibushi Lancer’s engine let go dramatically on the opening stage leaving the pair to enjoy an afternoon in the Fermanagh sunshine.
For John McDermott & Stefan Comerford, the curse has finally been lifted as the little VW Lupo finally finished an event, something the whole Forest Rally Championship community has been hoping for all season. They took top points in Class 10, while Eugen Ward & Patrick Heaney grabbed a max score in Class 11F when they passed Christy Butler & Ann Hutchinson who had to retire their Honda Civic once more with mechanical issues.
It was mixed emotions in the O’Connell camp in Class 11R, Paul and navigator Brian Quinlan brought their Ford Escort Mk2 home to extend their Championship lead, but for Eamonn & Paul Bruton their day would end when their engine expired at the end of stage 5.
Brian Little & Niall McCarron took the win in Class 12, Walter Burke & Bobby Cooper won Class 18 and Dominic Leonard & Martin Baxter took a second Class 20 victory in a row to launch a strong push for the title.
The 2024 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship resumes in just two weeks time as the series travels to Omagh for the Bushwhacker Rally, before ending with the Clare Forest Rally on October 5th.
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