22/05/06 - Maghera's Charlie Donnelly emerged victorious from last Saturday's KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally, round three of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship!

Navigated by Paddy Toner, it was a sweet victory for the partnership, which marked the event's first local winner, as well as a maiden victory for the Skoda Fabia World Rally Car on Irish soil!

"I really wanted to win the rally for Paddy," Donnelly commented. "He played a major part in getting the very first Tour of the Sperrins Rally off the ground so it's more his win than mine. It's also the first time a Magherafelt and District Motor Club member has won the event!"

Eugene Donnelly, Charlie's brother, was due to drive the car but the Irish Tarmac champion was struck down with a bad back. A session with his physiotherapist just two days before the rally irritated a nerve, forcing Eugene to the sidelines.

Charlie took the opportunity to drive the Fabia WRC and after leaving Walsh's Hotel on Saturday morning, he grabbed a firm hold of the lead.

Donnelly, who currently leads the Irish National Championship after victory in Carlow earlier this month, took an impressive 15 second lead on the opening stage! It was a huge chunk out of his rivals but his fortunes turned for the worse on stage two when a puncture dropped him down the leaderboard like a stone. He lost a substantial amount of time, allowing Sean Devine and Damien Duffin to head the field.

Donnelly was languishing in fourth position, more than 10 seconds behind the rally leaders. At the front, it Devine led Cookstown's Glenn Allen with Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston third. But the event was far from over as Donnelly decided to mount a huge charge, launching his 'scud missile' into the remaining stages with a renewed determination!

Fastest time on stage three was enough to move him into second position and when Devine put his Subaru off on stage four, courtesy of a wrong tyre choice, it was a return to Donnelly domination! An overshoot during stage five failed to slow Donnelly's charge and with more than half a minute in hand, the Skoda Fabia crew arrived at the finish victorious!

"I only had a 30 minute test in the car but it performed faultlessly," Donnelly said. "Maurice Gass has had quite a few problems with it so it's great to finally break its duck. All in all, a great day out and a very well run rally!"

In second position, Glenn Allen struggled to get used to his hired Toyota Corolla's handling characteristics. The Cookstown pilot was forced to hire the car after his own Corolla's engine started overheating before the event. Although second, he took maximum N.I. championship points (Donnelly isn't registered for the series) and now leads the Pacenotes backed series.

Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston, with Richard Bell on the notes, completed the top three in their Subaru Impreza WRC. A healthy points haul has moved them into fourth position in the championship standings, one point behind Kevin Lynch who missed the Sperrins event due to business commitments.

In sixth position, Cork visitors Liam McCarthy and Kieran Murphy brought their Corolla WRC safely home while Charlie Beatty and Camillus Murray completed the class eight finishers in the top ten. There were a number of notable retirements, including Stephen Moore who was forced to the sidelines when the timing belt in his Ford Focus WRC started to loosen. George Robinson was also forced into retirement when his Escort WRC developed mechanical problems.

Production category/Group N

In the Production category, James Cullen headed the category after the first stage but was forced into retirement after he clouted a pole on stage two. His demise was Richard Hogg's gain and he survived a final stage overshoot to take Group N honours and fifth overall. The Limavady driver, with Mark Hanna calling the notes, has now moved into second position in the overall championship standings, and heads the production class. Cookstown's Rodney McKnight and Seamus Donnelly finished second in class and eighth overall, just ahead of Strabane's Stanley Ballantine and Richard Hyland.

Superdrive sponsored two wheel drive category

In the Superdrive sponsored two wheel drive category, Lisburn's Wesley Patterson took the top two wheel drive honours and finished an incredible fourth overall. It was a giant-killing display of titanic proportions which raised many eyebrows at the Maghera finish. Ballymena's Declan McNaughton and John Rowan finished second while Bushmills' Alistair Cochrane and Pam Norris were third. McNaughton isn't registered for the championship so he forfeited his Superdrive prize, effectively allowing McNaughton to take second prize while Crumlin's Rodney White and Sam McMullan took third prize.

Round four - Mourne Rally

The scenic Mourne Mountains mark the venue for the fourth round of the hotly contested series. Based in Newry, competitors will tackle the all tarmac roads on Saturday 10 June, with the event kicking off from Carnbane Industrial Estate at 10am.

ENDS.

Top ten and class winners

1 Charlie Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Skoda Fabia WRC)
2 Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Toyota Corolla WRC)
3 Raymond Johnston/Richard Bell (Subaru Impreza WRC)
4 Wesley Patterson/Joe Friel (Ford Escort Mk2)
5 Richard Hogg/Mark Hanna (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8.5)
6 Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC)
7 Charlie Beatty/Camillus Murray (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6)
8 Rodney McKnight/Seamus Donnelly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6)
9 Stanley Ballantine/Richard Hyland (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6)
10 Declan McNaughton/John Rowan (Ford Escort Mk2)

Class 1: Keith McQuillan/Colin Harkness (Honda Civic)
Class 2: Richard Hogg/Mark Hanna (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6)
Class 3: Andrew Straney/Mark Carson (Vauxhall Nova)
Class 4: Jonathan Nevin/Gareth Nevin (Ford Escort Mk2)
Class 5: Kevin Bradley/Siobhan Cassidy (Ford Escort Mk2)
Class 6: Bernard O'Neill/Roisin Marron (Ford Escort Mk2)
Class 7: Wesley Patterson/Joe Friel (Ford Escort Mk2)
Class 8: Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC)
Class 9: Declan McNaughton/John Rowan (Ford Escort Mk2)

Provisional championship standings after round three

1 Glenn Allen (45)
2 Richard Hogg (33)
3 Kevin Lynch (32)
4 Raymond Johnston (31)
5 Sean Devine (28)

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