Condell and Coady Crowned Forest Rally Champions

Measured Dogleap finish seals the Brown & Brown title as Greer wins a dramatic finale

David Condell and Michael Coady held their nerve amid fierce competition to secure the Brown & Brown Forest Rally Challenge, writes William Neill.

With the championship on the line, Condell and Coady delivered exactly the measured finish they needed. Sixth overall at the Premier Car Parts Dogleap Rally was enough to clinch the four-round series by 16 points.

The Carlow driver had laid the foundations at the Fivemiletown opener, scoring strongly from the outset in his Skoda Fabia Rally2 before maintaining that form on the Lakeland and Bushwhacker rounds.

While Condell concentrated on the title, the fight for rally victory produced a tense finish. Jonathan Greer carried a slender one-second lead over Stephen Dickson into the final Cam stage, after Dickson had set the pace for much of the event.

A grandstand showdown was in prospect until Dickson went off the road. Greer survived drama of his own—hitting a ditch and bouncing back out—to extend his advantage to 7.7 seconds and seal the win.

The result also confirmed Greer as runner-up in the Brown & Brown series. Added to an already-secured Northern Ireland Rally Championship, it capped a superb season in the DGM-run Toyota Yaris Rally2, with four rally victories to his name.

Niall Devine and Liam McIntyre finished second, one place short of repeating last year’s victory. At the Aghanloo finish ramp, the Strabane driver praised a well-organised event; the result left him fifth in the final Brown & Brown standings.

Jordan and Paul Hone opened in style by setting the fastest time on Loughermore West, but a puncture on the first pass of Cam dropped the Premier Car Parts-backed crew to eighth. A determined second-half recovery carried them back to third—both on the rally and in the championship.

Alan Smyth, who made his R5 debut on this event last year, came within 3.5 seconds of matching that podium result. The IN-Sport-run Volkswagen Polo R5 crew settled for fourth.

Vivian Hamill followed 6.8 seconds further back in fifth. He ended the series level on points with Hone, but lost third place on countback.

Rutledge Rules Two-Wheel Drive

Ashley and Jake Rutledge completed a memorable family success by taking the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge two-wheel-drive crown in their BMW E46.

The father-and-son crew finished 12 points clear of James and Heather Kennedy. Shane McGirr secured third in the standings, while Dean Donnelly climbed to fourth.

On the rally itself, Damien Tourish and Rory Kennedy claimed two-wheel-drive honours in their Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800, ahead of Hugh McDaid and Martin Byrne. Paddy McToal and Sam Stewart were both sidelined by mechanical problems.

Top 10 Results

Jonathan Greer/Niall Burns (Toyota Yaris Rally2)

Niall Devine/Liam McIntyre (Volkswagen Polo R5)

Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Skoda Fabia Rally2)

Alan Smyth/Emmet Sherry (Volkswagen Polo R5)

Vivian Hamill/Paddy Robinson (Skoda Fabia Rally2)

David Condell/Michael Coady (Skoda Fabia Rally2)

Craig Rahill/Darragh Mullen (Ford Fiesta Rally3)

Casey Jay Coleman/Killian McArdle (Ford Fiesta)

Ian Dickson/Mark McGeehan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)

Jack Brennan/Dylan Harrington (Ford Fiesta Rally3)

Full results are available via rallyscore.com.