Has there ever been a build-up like it? This weekend’s Corrib Oil Galway International Rally provides the first of seven episodes in this year’s NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. A year ago, Storm Éowyn brought a shuddering halt to proceedings that eventually led to the cancellation of the event. Now, it’s only the aftermath of a storm within the corridors of power of Motorsport Ireland – that has resulted in an appeal to the recent outcome of a Court of Inquiry – that is blowing in the wind.
For now, that can be set aside to allow the real business of the sport get underway in the West of Ireland where the traditional season opener is awash with expectation and promise. How the demographic has changed since Keith Cronin (Fiord Fiesta Rally2) won the last Galway International Rally two years ago, when the Citroen was the dominant car with four in the top ten.
This time around, that’s surpassed with no fewer than six Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars in the top ten as reigning Tarmac champion Derry’s Callum Devine, Irish National champion Kilkenny’s Eddie Doherty and Donegal’s David Kelly all have new examples of the Czech marque.
Then, there’s Monaghan’s Josh Moffett, winner of all three major Irish rally championships, who will steer a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 along with Donegal’s Eamonn Kelly, who transitions from two seasons in the Junior World Rally in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 to the Rally2 category in another Toyota GR Yaris.
The anticipation as to how it will unfold has seen the motorsport conversation take a welcome swerve to what the sport should be about – top class competition.
Devine, the top seed, is likely to be the barometer of pace, for the opening stage at least as Galway always has the habit of being unpredictable. Although he has yet to triumph in Galway – one of only two events within the ITRC that he hasn’t won (the other being the West Cork Rally) – Devine will be comfortable in his surroundings, having taken seven wins since he debuted his first Skoda on the Donegal International in 2024.
It’s almost three years since Josh Moffett won a round of the ITRC (2023 West Cork Rally). That gap seems an eternity for the Monaghan native – since then he has interloped between the Hyundai i20 R5, its Rally2 variant, a Citroen C3 Rally2 and a Skoda RS Rally2.
He explained how the switch to the Toyota GR Yaris came about. “The lead time to get new cars is 12 months plus, but I got the opportunity to buy one with a four-week time frame and it was too good to turn down. I had a brief test and it (the car) feels good. The initial thing was the three-cylinder engine. I suppose it’s just the sound of it and the feel of it, to be honest, as soon as we started the test, I hardly noticed the difference.”
As for Galway, he added, “We’ll just take it as it comes. We’ll not be going on some sort of a mission where we feel like we have to win. We need to get bedded into the car and go as we’re comfortable. I’m looking forward to it.”
Eamonn Kelly’s debut outing in the Toyota will also be under the microscope and there’s no doubt that the experience of the Junior WRC where he was an event winner twice, will stand him in good stead. Indeed, he could be the one to provide the ITRC regulars with something to think about.
Last year’s National Rally champion Kilkenny’s Eddie Doherty, who actually played minor hurling with his native county, will be a force to be reckoned with in his new Skoda; Donegal’s David Kelly may take time to adjust too, as fellow countymen Michael and Declan Boyle and Tyrone’s Cathan McCourt will continue with the Skodas they campaigned last season.
Tyrone’s Ryan Loughran and yet another Donegal driver, Matthew Boyle, compete in a pair of Ford Fiesta Rally2 cars. Dunmanway’s Jason McSweeney (Ford Escort Cosworth WRC) is the top seed in the Historic category following the withdrawal of reigning champion John O’Donnell (BMW M3). Tomorrow’s (Saturday) nine stages (SS1 – 09:40) are near Headford and on Sunday the action (six stages) is close to Athenry starting at 09:50 with the service park located at the Galway Airport complex throughout the two days.
