Josh Moffet has golden opportunity to extend his lead of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally championship.
The Monaghan driver currently has a three-point advantage over Derry Callum Devine after the opening three rounds. Moffet races in this weekend’s Waterford City Ford Raven’s Rock Rally.
However, Devine, the winner of the start of the season, Midland Moto Rally has decided to skip Sunday’s rally. A third victory on the bounce for Moffett would give the Hyundai i20 Rally 2 driver a solid lead as the season moves passed its halfway mark.
The co-driver’s championship is also likely to be turned on its head in Waterford too. That is currently being led by Devine’s navigator Noel O’Sullivan but Moffett’s man Keith Moriarty is only three points adrift.
But nothing is certain in rallying and several drivers are waiting in the wings to disrupt the leader’s best-placed plans.
Daniel Cronin makes his second Triton Showers National championship appearance of the year. Cronin has not contested a rally since the Circuit of Kerry in April.
Meanwhile, Brother Keith has been using the family Volkswagen Polo GtI in the British Rally Championship.
Former Triton Showers National Rally champion Declan Boyle starts at four. The number one slot has been left vacant in memory of absent friends including Craig Breen who was a member of the organising Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club.
David Guest is another driver returning to the fray, after skipping the Circuit of Kerry in April and Cavan last month.
First start of the year
Tyrone’s Seamus Leonard will start his first national rally this year. The Ford Fiesta driver will start in front of Michael Boyle who is currently in seventh place in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship title race. Melvyn Evans is the top overseas driver in his self-prepared Polo. While the Citroen C3 Rally 2 crew of series sponsor Paul Barrett of Triton Showers starts at nine, one place ahead of another overseas competitor.
James Ford has been concentrating on Irish International Rally this year but the Raven’s Rock Rally marks his first one-day outing this season. Completing the top ten is former Triton Showers Champion, Tim McNulty.
The Modified section is led by the Darrian of James Stafford. Eddie Doherty, winner of the recent Laois Heartlands Rally will be hoping to put his recent run of good from use on his home rally.
The third seed in the Modified section is the returning Rob Duggan. Duggan has not driven his Ford Escort since the 2022 Donegal International Rally. Top locals include Keith Power in a Ford Fiesta Rally 2.
Event sponsor James Boland, fresh from his outing on the Ypres Rally in Belgium, will compete in a Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Rally HQ for the event will be the Viking Hotel, located on the Cork Road in Waterford City. The hotel is ideally located just off the N25 making it a prime location for both competitors and spectators.
Clerk of the Course Simon Reid said:
We are really looking forward to a great day’s rallying. It is the first time since 2012 that the stages for this event are back in County Kilkenny. Two of which have not been run since 2007 and one being a completely new stage.
