FERMANAGH navigator Barry McNulty was part of an unstoppable duo as he teamed up with Dromore driver Cathan McCourt for a dominant win at Saturday’s Down Rally.
In their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the pair delivered a near-flawless performance to finish almost a minute clear of the chasing pack.
From the opening stage, McCourt and McNulty were on top. They set the fastest time on Stage One, finishing 2.9 seconds ahead of the Toyota Yaris crew of Jonny Greer and Niall Burns.
Their advantage grew on Stage Two at Hamilton’s Folly, where the local crew went 11.9 seconds quicker than their nearest rival, stretching the lead to 14.9 seconds heading into first service.
The pressure didn’t ease. A storming drive through Stage Three at Thornhill saw them go quickest again, pushing their advantage to 28.1 seconds. Greer briefly responded on Stage Four, his first stage win since returning from a serious crash earlier this year, but McCourt and McNulty hit back immediately, dominating the repeat run of Hamilton’s Folly to extend their cushion to 39.3 seconds.
With McCourt composed behind the wheel and McNulty sharp on the notes, two more fastest times in the final three stages sealed a commanding win, 58.6 seconds clear of Greer and Burns, with Sam Touzel and Max Freeman completing the podium in a brand-new Ford Fiesta Rally2.
There was more Fermanagh representation in the field. Brian D’Arcy partnered Albert McCleanaghan to eighth in Class 2 in a Ford Sierra Cosworth, while Wendy Blackledge guided Roger Kennedy to 11th in Class 6 in their Peugeot 306 GTi.