Callum Devine won Sunday’s curtailed Cork ‘20’ International Rally due to biblical rain – but it was not enough for the Claudy man to retain the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship crown.
Results for the deciding round of the cross-border series were declared final by organisers after the fifth stage as the weather in Rathcormac deteriorated and the road conditions worsened.
All the top-seeded Rally2 drivers voiced concerns for their safety and reported a catalogue of heart-stopping moments. Championship returnee Meirion Evans called it quits after the morning loop having had to contend with water ingress and a misting-up windscreen in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
In a communique, Clerk of the Course Kevin O’Riordan said: “Organisers have constantly monitored the conditions… and have made the decision that the results will be declared after SS5,” adding: “Organisers have the right to postpone, cancel or abandon in circumstances such as safety grounds upon consultation.”
Devine and team-mate Noel O’Sullivan delivered what was expected of them before the call from O’Riordan to declare the results after the fifth speed test.
They needed to come top of the timesheets and hope that Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin finished third or lower to retain the Fisher Memorial Perpetual trophy. They had 12 seconds in hand despite hitting a chicane on stage one, and their car’s wipers struggled to sweep the water on stage four.
Even Cronin, who only needed to shadow Devine to become Irish Tarmac Rally Champion for the first time since 2016 and the second time in his career, had his own stories to tell.
On stage five, his Ford Fiesta Rally2 ran wide on some standing water, but he escaped with only his pride damaged. The result left both crews tied on 100 points, however Cronin clinched the title on a tie-breaker.
“We came here to do a job and we did it. It would have been all too easy to let the guard down and get into a battle for the rally win and run the risk of throwing it all away,” said Cronin.
Rounding out the podium spots in his Ford Fiesta Rally2 was Matt Edwards and David Moynihan. Initially, the Welshman welcomed the challenge due to a “perfect” set-up, but as the rain continued to fall, he joined a growing chorus of drivers to question the benefit, and rationale, of carrying on.
He was more than half a minute up the road from World Rally Championship WRC2 regular Josh McErlean.
Entering the rally as a warm-up for the Central European Rally, he survived a stall and a spin on stage one before further time was lost to a puncture on stage two. The late retirement of David Kelly (crash) and James Ford (mechanical) elevated him up to fourth.