Heading into the final round, the Donegal Harvest Rally, the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship is poised for a thrilling conclusion.
With just one round remaining, the title race is incredibly tight, and any one of four drivers could claim the championship. Daniel Cronin and Eddie Doherty currently lead the standings on equal points, followed closely by Josh Moffett and Sam Moffett.
Josh Moffett’s recent victory in the Galway Summer Rally has significantly reshaped the championship dynamics. His dominant performance has propelled him into contention, while Sam Moffett’s second-place finish has kept him in the mix.
All four drivers have the potential to win the title. However, Josh Moffett’s recent form and the fact that he’s aiming for a record fourth title gives him a slight edge.
With 22 points available to the winner (plus a bonus point for winning the PowerStage) it really is a case of the winner taking it all in Donegal.
Daniel Cronin is the current joint- leader of the championship. A maiden National Rally championship win in Carlow has been one of the highlights of his and co-driver Donnachadh Burke’s season so far. They prepared for the championship showdown by contesting the recent two-day non-championship Wexford Rally.
They led from the start until the penultimate stage when turbo problems forced their Volkswagen Polo R5 into retirement. While disappointed not to win Wexford for the second time, they will be happy with their pace ahead of the Letterkenny showdown.
Eddie Doherty and his co-driver Tom Murphy are the only crew yet to win a round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. A first National win is not far away, technically they won the Circuit of Munster Rally, as event winners Callum Devine and John Rowan were not registered for the series, so Doherty took maximum points there.
Interestingly Devine and O’Sullivan are the top seeds for the Harvest Rally and are seeking back-to-back wins there.
Josh Moffett and co-driver Keith Moriarty’s experience may give them the edge. Josh is chasing a record fourth title and has scored back-to-back victories on the Galway Summer Rally and the Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally.
The Monaghan/Limerick crew have 98 points, four less than Cronin and Doherty tied at the top. The final interloper is Moffett’s older brother Sam. He and co-driver James O’Reilly won the opening round in Mayo and another win in Donegal coupled with non-finishes or bad results for the other three contenders could help him to another title. He drives the newer Hyundai i20 Rally2.
The rear-wheel-drive category will be equally competitive on the Donegal Harvest Rally with a host of championship regulars and local heroes on the entry list.
Leading the fray are Donegal’s own Kevin Gallagher and Ryan Moore (Darrian T90 GTR) who are chasing class 14 honours in the National Rally Championship. Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan – winners last time out in Galway – are also on the entry list in their Ford Escort Mk2.
