Local crews dominated the Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey Stages Rally in Wexford, with P J McGrath and Billy Collins scoring a clear, three minute win over David James and Jim Crowe after two days hard driving. Donegal driver Damien Tourish won the Group N Production class and finished third overall.
KNOCKALLA HILLCLIMBS
Already crowned as Magnus Technology National Hillclimb/Sprint champion for the second time, Paul O'Connell added a weekend double in the final two Donegal MC events at Knockalla to make it nine wins from fourteen rounds for the year. On Saturday he was untouchable, with the first of his four runs quicker than anyone else managed all day, and he improved each time to finish a clear 1.28s ahead of Lee Stanworth's Reynard. Former double title holder Frank Byrnes returned to the scene to take third place in his Pilbeam V8, just ahead of championship runner-up Simon McKinley, who shared the Radical of Rory Stephens when his Escort had gear linkage problems.
Next day, Byrnes was the early leader, but his first climb proved to be his best of the day and he slipped to third place behind O'Connell and Stanworth, who duelled all day, eventually recording identical best times with the Limerickman getting the verdict by doing it on his third run while his rival left it until the final attempt. Circuit racer Alan Kessie's Pilbeam lay fourth on the opening run but later went off on the final corner and dropped to seventh by the finish. Fifth place for Seamus Morris left his Darrian third in the points table.
MUNSTER/CORK AUTOTESTS
A terrific five way battle all day saw four times champion Eddie Peterson snatch victory on the final test of Saturday's Munster CC opening round of the Hewison Autotest Championship, 0.7s ahead of Steven Ferguson, with Robin Lyons, Sam Johnston and Eamonn Byrne in close attendance. Johnston was an early retirement in the Cork MC event on Sunday, stuck in first gear, with a pylon for Peterson dropping him from contention, so Ferguson dominated from start to finish, leading Lyons and Byrne home to take an early points lead.