When you look at successful rally careers in Ireland you can only pick a handful of names such as Bertie Fisher, Eugene Donnelly and very recently Craig Breen now I think you can add Josh Moffett to that list after having a stellar 2022 season.
Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes produced a perfect performance in inclement conditions to win the first round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, at Galway.
The Hyundai i20 R5 crew led the two-day rally from the second stage but periodic pacey bursts from Meirion Evans and Callum Devine ensured the win was never a runaway.
Afterwards it was Cork where Josh doubled his tally of the season with a hard-fought victory on the West Cork Rally finishing 23.3 seconds ahead of Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson. Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble completed West Cork’s podium, a further 18 seconds behind their Volkswagen team-mates.
Next it was the historic Circuit of Ireland as we seen a different winner of the season. Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble produced a sensational comeback drive to win that event. Fisher won the Circuit of Ireland’s final four stages to fight back from fourth overall overnight, 35 seconds off the lead.
Round 4 at Killarney and once again we saw a different winner! Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan won the Rally of the Lakes for the first time after an epic duel with Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble ended when the latter crashed out on Killarney’s final stage. Moffett seemed to settle for second increasing his championship lead and Jonny Greer and Niall Burns completed the podium on their first event together. It was Greer’s best Irish Tarmac Rally Championship result in the Citroen C3 Rally2.
Next, we go to the granddaddy of them all on the calendar – Donegal and it was the man on top form Josh Moffett who took another stellar win at the event.
Callum Devine, leader from Friday’s opening stage, hit a bale on stage 15 and was forced to retire before Matt Edwards, who inherited the lead, slid of the road on the following run. Alastair Fisher was Moffett’s nearest challenger, just one second behind, but dropped away following a puncture. Moffett won by 46.7 seconds over brother Sam and Meirion Evans.
“We have won a lot of rallies to date but to win the Donegal Rally is something I wasn’t expecting. To come off the last stage and take the win is a special feeling.” – Josh Moffett
The rally circus then moved back to Cork once again for the penultimate round of the calendar and Josh Moffett. The Hyundai i20 R5 duo was pushed to the limit by Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan after Cork 20’s overnight leaders Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble crashed out on Sunday’s opening stage. It was match point for Josh going into the Ulster Rally (Final Round)
Wales’s Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson would find their way to winning the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally – the partnership’s maiden international rally success. However, it wasn’t enough to dethrone Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes who secured the title for the second time in their careers.
An amazing achievement by the pair. 4 wins from last win including victory at the infamous Donegal International Rally is no mean feat. Can anyone topple pair at 2023? Guess we will wait and see for the opening round at Galway in February.
