Enniskillen driver Richard Cathcart, partnered by Martin Brady, took an impressive win on the Rathfriland Motor Club’s FM Contracts Down Rally on Saturday 20th.

The Castlewellan based event was the penultimate round of the MSA Pacenotes NI Stage Rally Championship and all the interest centred on the battle for the overall title between Glenn Allen and Stephen Moore.

One championship point separated the 2 drivers before the event but things took a dramatic turn on the morning of the event when it was discovered that the Moore Focus WRC had developed a serious fuel tank leak, and with no time or spare fuel tank, it looked like Stephen was going no further until Martin Cairns offered the use of his Group A Impreza to keep his championship hopes alive.

So Glenn Allen’s Toyota Corolla WRC lead Stephen Moore and the rest of the field away from the Castlewellan into the first stage in Tollymore Forest, but it was number 4 seed Cathcart who was 5 seconds faster than Allen through the 6.5 mile stage with past winner Sean Devine in third place. Gareth Logan was well on the pace in fourth place, but pushed a little too hard on the second stage in Rostrevor and rolled his Mitsubishi into retirement.

So after the first loop of stages, Richard Cathcart arrived at the service area in Castlewellan Forest Park with a 2 second advantage over Sean Devine, with Glenn Allen in close attendance and rival Stephen Moore languishing at the lower end of the top ten.  

Allen’s fight back started on the first run through Stage 3 in Drumkeeragh, were he clipped 4 seconds from Cathcart’s lead and leap frog Devine and put him on the tail of the leader. Through Tollymore 2, Cathcart claimed back a second from the Corolla but it all came to an end for Glenn on stage 5 when he rolled the Corolla in Rostrevor.

Mechanical woes also claimed Devine in Rostrevor, which left the way open for the top production cars to dominate the top 3. In the end, Cathcart controlled the pace in his Subaru at the front to head home Donagh Kelly and Paul Britton with Stephen Moore claiming fourth place to keep his Championship aspirations alive.

Top 2-wheel drive performance of the day came from local man Paul Killen, who wowed the spectators with his antics in a MKII Escort to clinch 12^th overall. Other notable performances included Ballykinlar’s Sean Warnock in 20^th overall and a class win and 23rd overall for John and Gavin Devlin from Banbridge. 

Glenn Allen’s retirement keeps the championship alive for the final round on the rally of the Glens in 2 weeks time.

1   5 RICHARD CATHCART/MARTIN BRADY     2 Subaru Impreza      

2  10 DONAGH KELLY/KEVIN FLANAGAN       2 Mitsubishi Evo 8.5  

3  22 PAUL BRITTON/MARTIN McGARRITY     2 Subaru Impreza N10  

4   8 STEPHEN MOORE/TONY McHUGH         9 Subaru Impreza 555  

5  20 P J GILLESPIE/MARY O'KANE         2 Mitsubishi Evo      7.59 5.00