Devine does the double on Modern Tyres Ulster Rally

Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan win the 2025 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally and with it the 2025 Irish Tarmac Championship title.

Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Callum Devine and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan achieved a historic result on the 2025 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally last weekend (15-16 August) - sealing their first win on the Northern Ireland Motor Club event and with it their second Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title.

Devine from County Derry-Londonderry and O’Sullivan from County Kerry after years of trying, sealed victory on the two-day Ulster Rally by dominating the event from start to finish - eventually finishing 21.4 seconds clear of the chasing pack. The Northern Ireland rallying showpiece had been one of the rally wins alluding the pair - but a commanding drive across the event also put their hands back on the coveted Bertie Fisher - Irish Tarmac Championship trophy after their last title triumph in 2023.

The Skoda pairing were chased hard by overseas visitor Osian Pryce with Irishman Andy Hayes sat alongside. The Welshman, who won the 2022 British Rally Championship, was using the Ulster as a warm-up for the UK round of the FIA European Rally Championship next month. Pryce took a few stages to dial himself into the C&M Motorsport Hyundai i20 Rally2 - which he was using for the first time, but by the Friday night stages was challenging for stage wins. From his opening stage base camp of third, Osian reeled in Declan Boyle and Patrick Walsh ahead in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 and on stage nine of 12 leapfrogged himself into a respectable second overall.

2014 Irish Tarmac Champion, Boyle has found a new lease of life in the Skoda and was revelling in the fight for victory and fastest stage times. With Welsh navigator Patrick Walsh calling the notes - third overall was a popular result with the thousands of fans lining the stages.

The Ulster Rally utilised stages around the Newry and Banbridge areas over the two days with 12 stages and 100 miles of competitive miles for the crews. New for 2025 was a Regroup at The Boulevard Outlet, allowing hundreds of spectators the chance to see the cars and stars close up - just moments after tackling the stages. Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council - Stephen Moutray was present to help wave the event off into the Saturday afternoon stages.

Speaking at the end of the final speed test, Devine was elated. “It’s fantastic, the rally couldn’t have gone any better for us - to get the win as well is brilliant. It’s been a great year for us, we didn’t actually plan a championship campaign but when we won in Killarney it gave us an incentive and to win four rounds on the bounce is incredible and my first Ulster win just tops it all off. Everything was faultless - Noel reading the notes, the team, my family - it’s a big effort from everyone to pull it all together.”

Speaking about the event - Devine was full of praise for the volunteer team from the Northern Ireland Motor Club. “The event has run like clockwork, so incredibly smooth and the weather was superb. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, marshals and organisers for making all of this happen - without them it wouldn’t be possible. It’s been a great rally all round.”

Elsewhere the meteoric rise of Kevin Eves and Chris Melly (Ford Fiesta Rally2) was clear to see, with the Irish pairing locking horns with more experienced crews around them. A clean and tidy run saw them chalk up fourth - their best ITRC result since their switch from a two-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla. Rounding out the top five was English duo Neil Roskell and Dan Barritt (Ford Fiesta Rally2) - who can be proud of their efforts with one of their best drives this side of the Irish Sea. The crew had made it up to sixth overall and were trying to keep tabs on British Asphalt rivals Mark Kelly and Will Atkins (VW Polo R5) ahead, but a last stage mechanical woe put Kelly and Atkins on the sidelines and out of the lead in the National Rally in the process.

In the race for the Modified victory, Damian Toner and Aodhan Gallagher made it back-to-back wins on the Ulster in their Ford Escort Mk2 after a storming drive to eighth overall, fastest rear-wheel-drive car honour, and with Kelly and Atkins being forced to retire - the accolades continued for the MK2 crew with the National Rally win going their way too.

Ben McFall and Damian McAuley on the opening day dominated the front-wheel-drive RC4 class in their Ford Fiesta Rally4, but an off road excursion retired them out of the order on Saturday morning - handing the lead to Kalum Graffin and Mark McGeehan aboard their Peugeot 208 Rally4. Graffin had just switched from the gravel of the British championship the weekend before and was learning his new Peugeot on the sealed-surface for the first time. The Irishman improved with every stage - but cited more will come in the future. The class win and 15th overall is a strong result for the teenager on his Ulster debut.

The 2025 edition of the Ulster Rally was also under the watchful eye of the world motorsport governing body - the FIA, as the Northern Ireland event aims for a slot on the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship calendar. Stepping into the spotlight on the stages in the Historic Class was John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson who commanded the Historic section in their powerful BMW M3. The pair were a crowd favourite and entertained their way to the category win and 11th overall in their sideways fashion.

Elsewhere, the Saturday Nissan Micra event was won by Andrew Bushe and Geraldine McBride who walked away with the Nissan Micra class with their Kit Car variant, while Ronan Dorrian and Mickey Joe Brown (Honda Civic) won the Junior Rally.

Reflecting on the 48th instalment of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington said: “The weather was perfect, the spectators came out in their droves and we put on a tough, two day test for the competitors - all the ingredients for a fantastic event once again.

“The event was also extra special for our partner Modern Tyres, with the rally marking the last big event in their 60th anniversary year, and we are delighted to have worked with them for the past five years. Their support is unwavering and they have been the perfect host for the rally once again with their fantastic facilities in Newry. Thank you to them, all our other partners, competitors, marshals, volunteers, spectators, residents and homeowners on the route - we couldn’t have done it without you all.

“On behalf of the Northern Ireland Motor Club, we would like to also congratulate Callum and Noel on the event win and their second Irish Tarmac Championship title. Their first win on the Ulster - you could see it meant everything to them, and what a way to cap off a hugely successful season - one that will mark him as one of the stand out crews of their generation.