Omagh father and son win Brown and Brown Forest Rally Challenge two-wheel-drive
Father and son team Ashley and Jake Rutledge became two-wheel-drive champions in the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge with a BMW E46.
DAVID Condell and Michael Coady were delighted to win the Brown & Brown Forest Rally Challenge, noting the high-level of competition they were up against, writes William Neill.
A measured finish was required and sixth overall at the Premier Car Part’s Dogleap Rally was enough to win the four round series by 16 points.
The Carlow driver, in a Skoda Fabia Rally2, scored highly from the off at the Fivemiletown opener and continued to do so at the Lakeland and Bushwhacker.
Jonathan Greer held a slender one-second rally lead going into the final Cam stage ahead of Stephen Dickson, who had been in front for the majority of the rally.
It was set to be a grandstand finish until Dickson went off the road and Greer boosted his advantage to 7.7 seconds to win despite hitting a ditch and bouncing back out again.
Greer finished second in the Brown & Brown series to add to the already won Northern Ireland Rally Championship to make it four rally wins this season in a DGM-run Toyota Yaris Rally2.
Niall Devine was second - a position off matching last year’s win with Liam McIntyre - and noted a well organised rally at the Aghanloo finish ramp with the Strabane driver fifth in the final Brown & Brown points.
Jordan and Paul Hone were fastest on the opening stage, Loughermore West, but a puncture on the first pass of Cam was frustrating for the Premier Car Part’s backed crew, dropping to eighth but moving up over the second-half to the final podium spot meant not only third in the rally but Brown & Brown series too.
IN-Sport-run Alan Smyth debuted an R5-spec car at the rally last year and was just 3.5 seconds off matching the podium result from then, with fourth in a Volkswagen Polo R5.
Another 6.8 seconds back Vivian Hamill was fifth to finish equal on points with Hone only to concede the position on countback.
Father and son team Ashley and Jake Rutledge became two-wheel-drive champions in the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge with a BMW E46.
The Omagh driver was 12 points ahead of James and Heather Kennedy, Shane McGirr finished third with Dean Donnelly jumping up to fourth.
Two-wheel-drive in the rally itself was won by Damien Tourish and Rory Kennedy in a Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800 from Hugh McDaid and Martin Byrne with both Paddy McToal and Sam Stewart suffering mechanical issues.
Results (full results via rallyscore.com)
1: Jonathan Greer/Niall Burns (Toyota Yaris Rally2)
2: Niall Devine/Liam McIntyre (Volkswagen Polo R5)
3 :Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Skoda Fabia Rally2)
4: Alan Smyth/Emmet Sherry (Volkswagen Polo R5)
5: Vivian Hamill/Paddy Robinson (Skoda Fabia Rally2)
6: David Condell/Michael Coady (Skoda Fabia Rally2)
7 Craig Rahill/Darragh Mullen (Ford Fiesta Rally3)
8: Casey Jay Coleman/Killian McArdle (Ford Fiesta)
9: Ian Dickson/Mark McGeehan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)
10: Jack Brennan/Dylan Harrington (Ford Fiesta Rally3)