This year’s Ulster Rally has a new base in Antrim and it features six timed special stages on Friday evening. Cars restart early on Saturday morning to contest another eight stages before the finish at 6.00pm, having covered an overall competitive distance of 127 miles.
Long time championship leader Eugene Donnelly has won this rally twice and he can be expected to ring the most out of the Skoda Fabia on his home event. With a lead of fourteen points the four times champion looks favourite to win a record equalling championship number five. However the rules of the championship stipulate that one must count the best six scores out of eight rounds and there is also a 50% bonus points on the final round in the Cork 20. And Gareth Mc Hale who is leading the chasing pack will have benefitted hugely from his first international victory in Donegal.
The Dubliner will be on the pace and his Focus WRC will revel in the fast stages of day one. Mc Hale has a ten point cushion over third place man Tim Mc Nulty. The Subaru driver had a bad start to the year but then he won the Lakes rally and was second in the Jim Clark and he got back into contention. Just two points behind Mc Nulty is Eamon Boland in fourth place, however the 2008 Ulster rally winner and current Irish Tarmac champion has decided not to enter this years event. Thus it is a three horse race, but one feels that the championsip is there for Donnelly to lose.
The battle for Group N honours is no less exciting with just six points covering the top 4 drivers. Alastair Fisher heads fellow Ulsterman Alan Carmichael by a point, who in turn is a point ahead of Ger 0’Donovan. Just four points behind O’Donovan is fellow Bantryman Keith Cronin. Fisher and Cronin were the stars on the Manx rally, and Cronin will be anxious to finish ahead of Mark Higgins, as they are the joint leaders of the British rally Championship (B.R.C.) part of the rally. The Ulster rally is the penultimate and fifth round of the BRC.
Irish Tarmac rally Championship points after six rounds
Eugene Donnelly (Skoda Fabia WRC) 60,
Gareth Mc Hale (Ford Focus WRC) 46,
Tim Mc Nulty (Subaru Impreza WRC) 36,
Eamon Boland (Subaru ImprezaWRC) 34
Alastair Fisher (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) 30
Group N Class
Alastair Fisher (Mitsubishi Evo) 36
Alan Carmichael (Mitsubishi Evo) 35
Ger O’Donovan (Subaru Impreza)34
Keith Cronin (Mitsubishi Evo) 30.
Austin Shinnors.
