Pirelli Star Driver Mark Donnelly has finished third overall after a polished drive on his home event: Todds Leap Rally Northern Ireland, round four of the British Rally Championship. Osian Pryce took the overall win, marking the Welshman’s first ever win in the coveted British rally series.
This year’s Todds Leap Rally NI moved ship from its usual base in Antrim to the picturesque Fermanagh Lakes and brought with it a brand new set of challenges. After a rain-soaked ceremonial start in Enniskillen on Friday afternoon, the drivers faced 15 fast all-asphalt stages set over two days.
Tom Cave proved himself as the man to beat during the rally’s opening leg, netting a string of stage wins and carving a 39.4 second advantage after six stages. But it wasn’t to last as the Welshman lost control of his Citroen DS3 R3T on the day’s closing stage and was forced to retire. Local favourite Alastair Fisher also retired after succumbing to the treacherously slippery road conditions on stage two.
Cave and Fisher returned under Super Rally regulations on Saturday but both had incurred hefty time penalties, which knocked them out of winning contention. This left the path clear for Osian Pryce who drove his Citroen DS3 R3T to victory, becoming the youngest winner of a BRC round since Jari-Matti Latvala back in 2003.
Speaking at the finish in Enniskillen, rally winner Pryce – who also took part in last year’s Pirelli Star Driver shootout - commented: “The Irish drivers were definitely the favourites but our win just goes to show that you don’t have to be a local to win on the Ulster. We’ve had a winning combination this weekend, thanks to my co-driver Dale and all the guys – it’s been a brilliant rally for us.”
Proving a model of consistency once again, former Pirelli Star Driver Jukka Korhonen finished runner-up, 50.9 seconds adrift of rally winner Pryce. Despite having limited experience on asphalt, Korhonen has come on leaps and bounds this year and continues to lead the overall BRC drivers’ standings with just two rounds remaining.
Donnelly started Saturday’s stages in seventh place but a superb drive in the Citroen DS3 R3T, including three fastest stage times, saw the Northern Irishman come home in third place.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been on the podium and it feels even better that it’s happened in front of a home crowd,” said 22-year-old Donnelly, who hails from Omagh. “I really wanted to concentrate on getting some good stage times in Ulster so to come away with third place is even better. I would like to say a big thank you to Citroen, Pirelli and my co-driver Dai Roberts: without them none of this would have been possible. It’s such a confidence boost and I can’t wait for the next two rallies now.”
Jonny Greer put in a sterling performance over the weekend to bring his Citroen home in fourth place. Daniel McKenna rounded odd the top five in his Ford Fiesta R2. For his stunning pace in the Ford Fiesta R2, including a fastest stage time on Friday, Northern Irishman Jon Armstrong was awarded the fourth Pirelli Star Driver nomination of the season.
Pirelli UK Tyres Operations Manager, Matthew Corby, summed up the weekend: “I am thrilled for Mark Donnelly. He has worked incredibly hard this year and he thoroughly deserves that spot on the podium. I know how much the home support meant to him this weekend and it’s fantastic that he’s finally getting the sort of results that he deserves. The rain on Friday made those first seven stages like driving on ice and very much favoured those who had taken tyre choice into consideration. I’d also like to congratulate our former Pirelli Star Driver Jukka Korhonen who is a glowing example of the successes of our programme. With a 17-point championship lead, it is looking ever more likely that Jukka will walk away with the trophy at the end of the season.”
The penultimate round of the Pirelli-supported British Rally Championship will take place in Yorkshire as the six-round series returns to gravel for Rally Yorkshire which will run from 27-28 September.
