The countdown is on to the 2025 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, with two days of high-speed action and high calibre competition promised through the lanes of Counties Armagh and Down from 15th to 16th August.
The rally is a counting round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the one-make Nissan Micra Challenge, and the FIA European Rally Trophy (FIA ERT) and for 2025 a candidate event for the FIA European Historic Rally Championship in 2026.
All eyes will be on Callum Devine as he chases a second Irish Tarmac Rally Championship drivers’ title with Noel O’Sullivan, and although a first Ulster Rally victory would be the icing on the cake for the Claudy man, he is not going to have it all his own way.
Devine is the undisputed bookies’ favourite to end the Northern Ireland Motor Club event at the top of the timesheets given his recent red-hot form: seeded at number one in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, he starts with three consecutive wins under his belt at the Circuit of Ireland Rally, the International Rally in Killarney and the Donegal International Rally.
Competition comes in the guise of former British Rally Champion Osian Pryce who is making a first appearance in Rally2 machinery (Hyundai i20 N) this season.
2021 was the Welshman’s last Ulster outing and, on that occasion, it ended in disappointment, a trip into a field on the closing miles handing victory and the British title to Matt Edwards.
Donegal man David Kelly could also spring a surprise on the Ulster given his recent turn of pace aboard his older generation Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. Kelly has podiumed at both the Circuit and Donegal and climbed to fourth in Killarney before retirement beckoned.
Making his ninth start of a busy campaign is England’s Neil Roskell (Ford Fiesta Rally2). Despite failing to challenge the Irish hierarchy to date, he still has buckets of speed, as his tally of fourteen podiums in the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship confirms.
Other notable starters include former Irish Tarmac champion Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and the returning Darren Gass (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5), as well as Chris Ford (Citroen C3 Rally2) and closed-road specialist Mark Kelly in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.
In the two-wheel-drive ranks, local favourite Damian Toner arrives as the man to beat in the modified category alongside co-driver Aodhan Gallagher.
Leading the McEvoy Motorsport and Flat 2 The Hat Modified ITRC with a perfect points tally, Toner has yet to drop a single point this season. However, home advantage brings added pressure, and he’ll face stern challenges from John Devlin and Fergal McGuigan.
Adding spice to the two-wheel-drive battle is visitor Stewart Morrison and experienced campaigner Gareth Black, a 2022 ITRC contender who will be familiar with the County Armagh stages. Modified ITRC contenders Anthony O’Brien and Corey Eves also join the fray, ensuring competitive action throughout the field.
The Wales Motorsport Fabrication Historic ITRC category sees John O’Donnell defending his championship lead, holding a 13-point buffer over second-placed Meirion Evans following his Donegal victory. However, Evans has shown his class with maximum points on both the Circuit of Ireland and Rally of the Lakes, proving he has the pace to claim Ulster honours.
Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC leaders Ronan Dorrian and Mickey Joe Browne top the Ulster Rally’s Junior entry ahead of title rivals Darragh Walsh and Gary Lombard. Nine points separate the rivals heading into Irish Tarmac’s penultimate round.
