Enniskillen's Richard Cathcart claimed victory at Saturday's Fisher Engineering Stages Rally, round seven of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship!
 
Cathcart and navigator Martin Brady set fastest times on seven out of eight stages to win the County Fermanagh event by 12 seconds from new championship leaders, Sean Devine and Damien Duffin.
 
"I wasn't expecting to win," Cathcart admitted afterwards. "I just wanted to go out and enjoy a spin in the car! Apart from a puncture, everything went well from start to finish. The car did what I wanted it to do and I came out of every stage with a smile on my face! It was just pure class!"
 
Cathcart, who last piloted a World Rally Car in the forests two years ago at England's Bulldog Rally, immediately settled into his hired McKinstry Motorsport mount. In stark contrast to his previous experience, good preparation for the Lakeland event ensured he was in fine fettle for the stages, and it was the local man who immediately took control of the rally.
 
"I couldn't get to grips with Kenny McKinstry's S8 Impreza two years ago," Cathcart admitted, "and I thought I was going to have trouble with the paddle gear change again. But we tested the car before the rally and made sure we were well prepared. We watched the event video to ensure the pace notes were correct and everything just married up."
 
Cathcart's fastest time on the rally opener was the first of a string of quickest stage times. Despite being up against Northern Ireland championship regulars more accustomed to WRC machinery, it was the local man who was showing them the road!
 
Meanwhile, championship leader Conor McCloskey tied for second position with reigning champion Glenn Allen over the opening test, four seconds adrift of Cathcart. However, their time in the runner-up position was short-lived as Sean Devine and Damien Duffin moved up another gear during stage two. While Emma McKinstry and Kenny Hull retired their Impreza WRC at the end of the stage with a suspected broken steering rack, Devine pounced into second position.
 
In fact, it was Devine who became Cathcart's closest challenger throughout the day. He was only one second adrift of the rally leader through stage two, and both crews were awarded the same time after beating the 'bogey' on the third test. But it was Cathcart who extended his lead to 11 seconds through the fourth stage, while third placed Conor McCloskey and Francis Regan bowed their Ford Focus WRC out of contention.
 
"The car just stopped on stage four," McCloskey said afterwards. "We thought it was a problem with the fuel pump at first but it turned out to be a fault with the fly by wire motor. We managed to get her going again but we forgot to close one of the bonnet pins. During the road section after the end of the stage, we pulled over to fasten it. Unfortunately, the engine stopped again and refused to restart. It's going to be difficult to catch Sean in championship terms so we just have to hope for the best at the Bushwhacker Rally."
 
McCloskey's retirement ensured Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly moved into third position, five seconds adrift of Devine. However, Allen lost precious seconds through stage five, ensuring it was Cathcart and Devine who were locked in a battle for victory. In fact, Devine set his first fastest time of the day on that same stage, as the rally leader struggled with a puncture.
 
"I knew there was something wrong," Cathcart admitted. "I wondered why she was going very sideways at every right hand bend, yet she was fine on left hand corners. As it turned out, a tyre was going down but we only lost three seconds to Sean Devine."
 
That was to be the only stage that Cathcart finished second best to his challengers, and when each of the top three crews beat the 'bogey' through stage six, he held an eight second lead with two stages remaining. Fastest times over the final two tests ensured the advantage was extended to 12 seconds, allowing Cathcart to claim his second Pacenotes championship victory - his maiden win with a World Rally Car - at the Kesh finish ramp.
 
"We didn't have any big moments," Cathcart enthused. "There was a bad bump on one stage which flicked the back of the car into the air, but that was all. Everything just felt so comfortable - I'm mad to get out in her again but some financial backing would be good!"
 
With Cathcart taking victory, Sean Devine and Damien Duffin settled for the runner-up position as well as a healthy helping of championship points. Cathcart is not among the championship leaders as the Fermanagh event was his first Northern Ireland Championship rally this year, so Devine's result places him at the head of the standings once again.
 
"We were a bit cautious at the start after our accident at the Dogleap Rally," Devine admitted. "But once we got to service, we made a few changes to the car and set a fastest time."
 
"We couldn't afford to push too hard though," Devine continued. "The chicanes were seriously tight and there were 30 second penalties for hitting them. If you lose that amount of time on Fermanagh's rally, there's no way you are going to get it back! There was also little point in pushing too hard on the long stage as we were going to beat the bogey time anyway. I'd liked to have won but you have to watch the championship points too!"
 
Third overall for Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly, who were testing new suspension in their Toyota Corolla WRC, places them in second position in the series standings, just one point behind Devine. But with only one dropped score to Devine's two, it's the Impreza WRC pilot who holds the upper hand.
 
In the Sunoco Fuels production category, Comber's Neil McCance and Sean Ferris sealed the honours in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. They finished fourth overall in the process, almost half a minute ahead of fifth placed Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan, with Raymond Johnston and Richard Bell sixth.
 
Meanwhile, the Superdrive two-wheel-drive category saw Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan take an early lead in their Mark 2 Escort. Unfortunately, their rally started going wrong on stage five, before eventually retiring in a ditch on the following test.
 
"We broke a shaft and part of the back axle on stage five," Hetherington admitted. "We managed to fix the axle before the start of stage six, but then we were going a bit too fast over a bumpy section, and went off the road!"
 
Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan had been chomping at their heels, so they sealed the 2WD honours as well as seventh overall. Aidan Caldwell and Paul Vaughan were next in line, with Conor Kelly and David Vance third.