Dungiven driver Kevin Lynch dominated Saturday's North West Motor Factors Dogleap Stages Rally where he claimed a record sixth consecutive win at his home event. With Martin McNicholl calling the notes, the crew crossed the finish in their Ford Focus WRC more than one minute ahead of Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly, with Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan third.
 
The rally marked round six of this year's Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship, but Lynch's victory had little effect on the overall series standings. The multiple champion decided not to contest this year's series, and the Dogleap Rally was in fact his maiden Pacenotes championship victory of the year.
 
It was Sean Devine and Damien Duffin who entered the Limavady based event heading the championship tables by eight points from Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan. Devine was widely expected to be one of the front runners but a nasty accident on stage five resulted in a premature end to his day.
 
Devine overturned his Subaru Impreza WRC after clipping the same tree stump which Limavady's Richard Hogg also hit in 2002. On that occasion, Hogg's navigator, Michael Gibson, injured his back, but thankfully there were no injuries for Devine or Duffin on this occasion.
 
Devine's retirement allowed Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan return to the top of the Pacenotes championship standings, despite finishing behind rivals Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly. Allen also moved ahead of Devine in championship terms, and is only one point behind McCloskey after a trouble-free run.
 
Third-placed McCloskey switched his tarmac specification Subaru Impreza WRC for an Impreza hired from the McKinstry Motorsport stable, and gelled well with the new mount. He was swapping seconds with Glenn Allen's Toyota Corolla WRC throughout the day, and only for a problem during the eighth stage, the result between the pair may have been even closer.
 
"My wipers stopped working midway through stage eight," the new championship leader said afterwards. "We had to cruise through the stage and I think we lost about 16 seconds. There are always 'ifs' in rallying but I'm pleased to get third. Kenny (McKinstry) is first class to work with so hopefully we can strike a deal to hire the car for the remaining gravel rounds."
 
In fourth position, Cathal and Eoighan Rogers also claimed the Sunoco Fuels production category spoils by three seconds from Tristan Pye and Kirsty Riddick, with Johnny McKenna and Paul Garry sixth overall and third among the Group N crews. It was McKenna's first event since his accident during last year's Tour of the Sperrins, and he managed to get back into the groove very quickly.
 
As for Richard Hogg and Mark Hanna, seventh overall was a disappointing result by their high standards. Driving a Skoda Octavia WRC, turbo problems and then power-steering problems saw them drop behind Johnny McKenna on the final stage.
 
Hogg was lucky to hold on to seventh position, as Seamus Devine and Tony McHugh finished with exactly the same time but lost out on the tie-break. They claimed eighth ahead of Emma McKinstry and Kenny Hull, while Frank Kelly and Aidan Friel claimed 10th overall, as well as the Superdrive two-wheel-drive spoils, in their Mark 2 Escort.
 
Seamus O'Connell and Sean Magee finished nine seconds adrift in 11th overall and second among the two-wheel-drive runners, but Adrian Hetherington and Graham Henderson deserve a special mention. Despite rolling their Mark 2 Escort, the crew managed to get back on the road and finish the event inside the top 50 overall!
 
There were countless intense battles throughout the field, but nobody can take away Lynch and McNicholl's dominance at their home event. Since Lynch grabbed his maiden rally victory at the Dogleap in 2003, he has topped the timesheets on his home event every year. This year's success is a record sixth consecutive win, and the Dungiven pilot did it in style. He claimed rally victory by almost one minute 30 seconds, leaving his rivals trailing in his wake.
 
Round seven of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship takes crews to Enniskillen for the Fisher Engineering Stages Rally. Enniskillen Motor Club is still accepting entries for their Saturday 13 September event, and more details can be found online at www.nirally.com.
 

Results (top 10)
 
1 Kevin Lynch/Martin McNicholl (Focus WRC) 54m19s
2 Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 55m47s
3 Connor McCloskey/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 56m03s
4 Cathal Rogers/Eoighan Rogers (Lancer Evo 9) 57m05s
5 Tristan Pye/Kirsty Riddick (Impreza) 57m08s
6 Johnny McKenna/Paul Garry (Lancer Evo 8) 57m21s
7 Richard Hogg/Mark Hanna (Octavia WRC) 57m28s
8 Seamus Devine/Tony McHugh (Impreza WRC) 57m28s
9 Emma McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Impreza WRC) 57m57s
10 Frank Kelly/Aidan Friel (Escort MkII) 58m08s