Mountfield’s O’Brien brothers, Patrick and Stephen, may have secured victory by almost two minutes during Saturday’s Lakeland Stages Rally, but had it not been for two tyre issues the outcome would have been much closer.
Throughout the thrilling six stage battle, the O’Briens, behind the wheel of their R5 Skoda Fabia, were involved in a nip and tuck battle with their fellow Tyrone men, Clady’s Niall McGonigle, assisted by Ballinamallard’s Caolan McKenna, and Dromore’s Cathan McCourt, who had Derrygonnelly native, Brian Hoy on the notes.
Rally2 Ford Focus driver McGonigle set the initial pace on Conagher1 to lead by just over a second from McCourt, with O’Brien, who was easing himself back behind the wheel after an almost year long hiatus from action, while last Irish Forestry champion, Strabane’s Ryan Caldwell, was fourth and Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill fifth.
O’Brien leapfrogged McCourt on stage two, Big Dog 1, to close the gap slightly on McGonigle, while Hamill overtook Caldwell but those two both hit trouble on the first run over the epic Ballintempo stage on which McCourt shonein his Rally2 Fiesta to take the lead from McGonigle, with O’Brien third.
Former Irish Forest Rally champion, O’Brien lit the touch paper after the mid-event service and took top spot on the time-sheets after the second run over Conagher to lead McCourt as McGonigle’s challenge faltered due to a de-beaded tyre that left him stuck in a ditch and unable to continue.
After the penultimate stage, McCourt trailed O’Brien by less than a second, which resulted in the Mountfield man putting in a monumental effort over the second run over Ballintempo where McCourt’s tyre de-laminated, leaving him out of the event.
Even if McCourt hadn’t been forced into an early bath, it’s unlikely he would have overhauled O’Brien, whose time eclipsed everyone else in the field.
While delighted to have defended his Lakelands crown as he prepares his bid to make it four wins in a row on Omagh Motor Club’s Buswhacker Rally in a couple of weeks time, O’Brien was just happy to be back in action after sitting out this season, following his European Rally Championship experiences last term.
“On the first loop we said we’d try our best and not get carried away and I think there were only a couple of seconds between me and Cathan. And then the plan was to give it a push on the second loop but it was unfortunate that Cathan got a flat wheel.
“We had a good run through the last stage and in my heart I think I might have got it anyway because I was on a mission! If he’d beaten me through that he’d have been doing very well. It went well.
“We’ll now try for four in a row on the Bushwhacker but that’s not going to be easy because Cathan knows that rally very well, as do I, but we’ll give it a go and we’ll try our best. That’s all we can do.”
Meanwhile, after McGonigle and McCourt bit the dust, which was ample in the hot and dry conditions on the day, Eamonn Kelly finshed a sensational second in his Rally3 Ford Fiesta, while Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship leaders, Derek Mackarel and Eamonn Creedon finished third.
David Condell and Michael Coady missed out on the podium in fourth place, one position ahead of Strabane’s Martin Cairns and Dunamanagh co-driver Peter Ward in their Rally2 Fiesta, while another north Tyrone drvier, Paul Britton was sixth.
Top two-wheel-drive crew, Fivemiletown’s Shane McGirr and Ballygawley’s Denver Lecky were next home in seventh and first in class seven in their Lada Riva to leave them firmly in the hunt for the championship crown, while Drumquin’s Ashley Dickson and Martin Bready were eighth in their Rally2 Volkswagen Polo.
Dromore’s Hugh McQuaid and Declan Casey took ninth overall and second in the two-wheel-drive battle in their MkII Ford Escort, while Craig Reihill and Conor Smith rounded out the top 10.
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