Six stages, tackled by 110 cars, will open the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge at this Saturday’s Trailer Parts Lakeland Stages, writes William Neill.
Patrick O’Brien, currently living in Australia, has had a lack of seat time this season but leaving the Enniskillen-based event with back-to-back wins last year he starts as car one with brother Stephen in a Skoda Fabia.
A flat tyre on the final stage at the 2024 edition cost Cathan McCourt a second place after two stage wins – with Barry McNulty alongside, the pair will be a threat to O’Brien following a narrow win in Cork.
At three, in a third Skoda Fabia, Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden are in good form with two wins on gravel this year in the Irish series in Tipperary and Mayo.
Vivian Hamill and Andrew Greenan, in the first of 19 class one Ford Fiestas, head 2024 NI Forest Rally Challenge winner Derek Mackarel, who is under the guidance of Eamon Creedon.
Omagh duo Niall McCullagh and Martin Brady are at six with Gareth Miminagh, Stephen Dickson and Jordan Hone all expected to be at the sharp end while Kevin Eves is set to make his first gravel outing as a four-wheel-drive runner. A fourth-place finish at the Ulster Rally shows the pace is there ahead of what will be a new challenge.
Two-wheel-drive is headed by the Lada Riva of Shane McGirr and Denver Rafferty, who won the category last year from Hugh McQuaid and Declan Casey.
More competition will come from other Escort drivers too including Carlow’s David Condell, Alan Smyth and Paddy McToal. Variety is provided by Donal Sweeney in a Toyota Corolla and the Fiat 131 Abarth of Adrian Hetherington is set to be a crowd favourite.
