A few weeks ago, Carryduff rally ace, Jonny Greer, clinched his fourth McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship at the Carrduff Forklift backed Down Rally ran by both Ballynahinch and District Motor Club as well as Rathfriland Motor Club and here’s how the event unfolded:
SS2: Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy lead the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally after they claimed fastest times over the opening two stages in their Fiesta. In a day that could see some changeable conditions, the crew opted for a medium slick tyre for the opening loop of stages, which McCourt reckoned was a brave choice. So far, it appears to be working well!
Callum Black and Jack Morton are second overall in their Fiesta, seven seconds adrift of the leaders. Black had a “bit of a moment” when he got close to a few trees on stage one but managed to escape unscathed.
In third, Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson are holding their own, despite running with a smaller turbo restrictor as required by the McGrady Insurance NI Championship regulations. Henry was second fastest over stage two, nipping a few tenths out of Black on the test.
Meanwhile, Jonny Greer is in prime position to secure another NI Championship title. He and Niall Burns currently hold fourth overall in their Citroen which would be more than enough to seal the award. However, there is still a long way to go and if Greer falters, both Desi Henry and Derek McGarrity will be ready to pounce.
Other Championship registered crews include Joe McGonigle who admitted to being very cautious through the section where he went off last year. Aaron McLaughlin lost time when a turbo pipe came adrift, and former champion Stuart Biggerstaff is in trouble with a grumbling rear differential. He’s not sure if he’ll be able to make it through the entire loop of stages.
Eighth-placed Jason Mitchell reported a “massive moment” over a double jump when the car broke away from him and Alan Carmichael is struggling with some broken glasses. He tried to drive the opening stage without wearing them but struggled to see clearly!
SS3: The spectators were out in force for the popular Hamilton’s Folly stage and so were Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy as they more than doubled their Carryduff Forklift Down Rally lead! The crew entered the test with a 7-second advantage but by the end of the stage, they had extended that to 16.1 seconds!
“It was hard to gauge,” McCourt said. “It was slippy in places, but we had a good run in there.”
Callum Black and Jack Morton continue to hold second but lost more than 9 seconds to the rally leaders. Black reckons he bent his steering over a jump and admitted being cautious.
In third, Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson edged closer to Black with a second fastest time, swiping 2.8s out of their rivals, but Henry reckoned it wasn’t a good stage for him.
“I made a couple of mistakes and braked too early a few times,” Henry said. “It was tricky. There’s a lot more time to be found in there.”
In fourth, Jonny Greer wasn’t fond of a new section at the end of the stage. He is trying to be cautious but the flat-out section over the closing miles, complete with a series of bumps and jumps, made him a little nervous.
Euan Thorburn and Kier Beaton are fifth but worryingly a warning light has illuminated in their car and Thorburn can smell oil. Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden are sixth with Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Heaney seventh ahead of Neil Roskell and Andrew Roughead.
“That is one of the best stages,” Roskell said. “We had some hair-raising moments!”
Steve Wood echoed Roskell’s thoughts, commenting that it was “better than any rollercoaster”, while Jason Dickson simply said, “it’s class in there!”
In the two-wheel-drive battle, Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly lead in their Starlet from Donall Sweeney and Kyle Diffin (Corolla), with Damien Toner and Aodhan Gallagher (Escort) third. Further down the order, unfortunately Philip White has gone off the road and is out of the event.
SS4: A very tricky fourth test brought a close to the opening loop of stages at the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally and unfortunately for Callum Black and Jack Morton, their rally came to an end when they slipped off the road.
“We slid off on a downhill section,” Black posted on his Twitter account. “Really frustrating. Sorry to all the team.”
Both crew members jumped out of the car to warn the following crews, although Alistair Inglis was subsequently lucky to get away with a moment at the same corner. “We very nearly did the same thing,” Inglis said.
Also off the road were Jonny Greer and Niall Burns but they managed to get back on track, losing around 25 seconds. They overshot into a field and were in a bit of a flap at the stage end to check for any damage.
Amidst all the drama, it was Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson who claimed fastest time and they move into second overall. Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy continue to lead the event and were slowed at Black’s accident, but McCourt still holds a 14.6s advantage over Henry.
Jonny Greer and Niall Burns continue to hold third despite their drama on the test, but the crew are just 12.4s in front of Euan Thorburn and Keir Beaton. “My granny could drive quicker than me this morning,” Thorburn laughed. As for Greer, he may opt to be even more cautious over the final loop as he keeps his sights on the McGrady Insurance NI Championship crown.
Neil Roskell and Andrew Roughead have climbed up to fifth overall but with their eyes set on picking up Protyre Asphalt Championship points, they backed off after spotting Callum Black at the sidelines.
Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Geaney also overshot during the test and Steve Wood reckoned every corner felt slippier after seeing Black’s stricken car. Stuart Biggerstaff has managed to get his diff working but then he temporarily lost his power steering.
SS6: With two stages to go, Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy have extended their lead to 22.1s and are on course for Carryduff Forklift Down Rally victory. So far, the crew set fastest times on five of today’s six stages and lead the Citroen belonging to Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson.
Henry is in a reasonably comfortable second position and is heading for maximum points haul in the McGrady Insurance NI Championship. However, if Jonny Greer and Niall Burns can maintain their position in third overall, that will be more than enough for Greer to seal the title.
Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden have moved into fourth after Euan Thorburn and Keir Beaton lost time with a spin on stage six. The car escaped unscathed, but they now trail Mitchell by 8.9s.
Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Geaney are sixth ahead of Jason Dickson and Martin Brady, while eighth-placed Steve Wood and Rob Fagg damaged their Citroen on stage five. The crew understeered at a square left and hit a tree, leaving the Citroen with some cosmetic damage.
Nonetheless, Wood is now the leading Protyre Championship crew after Neil Roskell spun and got stuck between a wall and a hedge. Roskell continues to hold ninth with Alan Carmichael and Claire Williams in 10th.
SS7: With one stage to go, Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy are on the verge of Carryduff Forklift Down Rally success, while Jonny Greer and Niall Burns look set to claim the McGrady Insurance NI Rally Championship title!
“There are a lot of places you could make a mistake in there,” McCourt said. “It’s hard to get a rhythm.”
McCourt was fastest again through that seventh stage and heads into the final test with a lead of 26.4s over Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson, while Greer holds third overall in his Citroen.
“It’s a bit damp and slippy towards the end so we just took it cautious,” Greer said.
Fourth-placed Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden have been gradually reducing the gap to Greer but even if they manage to move in front on the final stage, it won’t have any effect on the destination of this year’s N.I. Championship title.
Euan Thorburn and Keir Beaton set third fastest time and swiped over five seconds out of Mitchell. That leaves the gap between the two crews standing at 3.7s with one stage to go. Could be an interesting finale in the battle for third and fourth overall!
Meanwhile, Joe McGonigle’s stage time hasn’t appeared on the results list yet, but he finished the stage, so we expect he holds sixth ahead of Jason Dickson and Martin Brady who enjoyed one of the biggest jumps over the famous Hamilton’s Folly stage.
Steve Wood and Robert Fagg are embroiled in a battle for maximum Protyre Championship points with Neil Roskell and Andrew Roughead. Roskell was trying hard on the test, taking some big air over the jumps, and he swiped over seven seconds out of Wood. The gap between the pair stands at 10.3s so it will be a big ask for Roskell to find that time on the final stage.
Alan Carmichael and Claire Williams made some changes to their car setup and were much happier at the stage finish. They are five seconds clear of Stuart Biggerstaff and Anthony Nestor who are just outside the top 10.
SS8 FINAL STAGE: Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy have won the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally but fourth overall for Jonny Greer has sealed a fourth McGrady Insurance N.I. Rally Championship title for the Carryduff driver!
Greer entered the rally knowing that he needed a top five points scoring position to secure his fourth success. Navigated by Niall Burns, it transpired to be a tricky day for the crew that saw them overshoot into a field during the fourth stage. After that incident, they did their best to keep their noses clean until the finish, eventually coming home in fourth.
“I’m glad to get round!” Greer said. “It’s been a tough year but a good year. We struggled to pick a pace all day and the conditions didn’t help. We just had to concentrate to get to the end and it’s not really enjoyable to do a rally like, but it’s been a good year’s work by everybody.”
As for the rally winners, Cathan McCourt and Brian Hoy put on a near faultless display as they secured six fastest stage times during the eight-stage event.
“It’s been a great event,” McCourt said. “Everything went perfect all day and the car was phenomenal.”
Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson finished second overall and claimed maximum NI Championship points, but it wasn’t enough to move to the top of the championship tables. They finished comfortably ahead of third placed Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden who had a stunning run on the final stage to set the fastest time and move in front of Jonny Greer.
Words: JONATHAN MACDONALD/NI RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP | Photos GRAHAM BAALHAM-CURRY [Images must not be used in any way without prior written consent of the photographer]
