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.
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.
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.
