It was a surprised Peadar Hurson and Allan Harryman who emerged victorious from last weekend's KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally, round four of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship. After a day long battle which saw them fend off challenges from Sean Devine and Charlie Donnelly, Hurson arrived at the finish victorious by 11 seconds!
 
"It's nice to get a finish and even better to get a win!" Hurson said afterwards. "I've only completed one day of rallying during the last 18 months, so we were a wee bit rusty to start off with. To be honest, I didn't expect to be so far up the leaderboard from the start - it was a bit of a culture shock with the new car. But after service we started to get into the groove and it was a very well run rally with good stages."
 
"That sort of event suits me now," Hurson continued. "It's all about time and money, and the cost is manageable. You can do the recce in one day and the rally in one day. I'd like to do more events like that so I may come back and do another round of the Northern Ireland Championship."
 
The six stage event, which was organised by Magherafelt and District Motor Club, attracted a high quality entry but there were numerous withdrawals before the start. Derek McGarrity, Eugene Donnelly and Glenn Allen were among the notable names who failed to make the start, but it worked out well for Hurson who had been placed on the reserve list. Their withdrawals, combined with others, allowed him to get a run, and he promptly took control.
 
Fastest on the first stage, Hurson made his intentions clear. It had been six or seven years since he last won a rally, and the Newry driver was thirsty for another win. He had last year's winner, Charlie Donnelly, as well as Sean Devine in hot pursuit, and it was by no means going to be an easy ride for the Impreza pilot.
 
While George Robinson and Tommy Speers retired after stage one when a shaft in their turbo broke for the second event in succession, and County Fermanagh's Raymond Johnston also joined the retirement list with mechanical problems after stage two, there were no such issues for the rally leaders.
 
Hurson continued to set the pace through the second test, extending his lead to almost five seconds over Donnelly. He was in fine form and while it was young Connor McCloskey who set the pace on stage three, Hurson continued to extend his advantage.
 
The fast third test didn't seem to suit Donnelly's Corolla, as he dropped time to Sean Devine and Damien Duffin. Devine moved into second as a result, pushing Donnelly down to third. It was Strabane's Devine who set the pace through stage four, and he made in-roads into Hurson's lead. Swiping five seconds out of the rally leader, just seven seconds separated the two crews going to the final two stages.
 
Hurson knew he had to do something about the chasing Devine, and through the fifth test he managed to almost double his advantage. Suddenly, Devine was embroiled in a battle for second with Donnelly, who had set fastest time. It was enough to move the Corolla pilot back into second position with one stage remaining, while Hurson was leading the rally by 10 seconds.
 
A clean drive by Hurson and Harryman through the closing miles ensured that they were rewarded with KBB Tour of the Sperrins victory. Meanwhile, Sean Devine and Damien Duffin were the best of the rest, as they snatched second from Donnelly's grasp at the final hurdle. Despite pulling out all the stops on the final stage, which included a heavy landing, the Toyota Corolla pilot sealed third overall.
 
Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan enjoyed their day with their Impreza WRC, and set two fastest times on their way to finishing fourth overall. The result allows them to cling on to their championship lead by a slender one point from Sean Devine. Completing the top five overall, Scottish visitors David Bogie and David Paterson survived a bad misfire during the early stages to arrive at the finish unscathed in what was good preparation for the Jim Clark Rally.
 
Sunoco Fuels Group N
 
Cathal and Eoighan Rogers had plenty of competition for Sunoco Fuels production category spoils, but nobody could seemingly take the challenge to the Mitsubishi Lancer pilots. While Gregory and Fergal Shaw sent spectators scattering after an overshoot on the opening test, it was Rodney McKnight and Seamus Donnelly who claimed fastest time by two seconds from Rogers.
 
Rogers really upped his pace through stage two, moving into a lead of 18 seconds from McKnight. It was Rogers' first of five fastest times, as he extended his lead on every stage until crossing the finish line. Meanwhile, McKnight received a two minute penalty, dropping him down the order. So Brian McFall and Oonagh McFerran picked up second position ahead of Eoin McErlean and Donard McCann, with John Walker and Des Wilson fourth ahead of Brian Muldoon and Tony McHugh.
 
Superdrive two-wheel-drive
 
Seamus O'Connell and Aidan Friel had high hopes for Superdrive two-wheel-drive victory but a spin and a puncture during the opening miles of stage one hindered their challenge. Instead, Wesley Patterson and Nigel Frazer set the pace, but they lost ground during the second stage. That allowed Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan to move in front with Calum and Iain Duffy in second position.
 
Patterson was back on song for stage three, and he started eating into Hetherington's lead. After stage five, he was out in front once again, and a clean run through the final stage ensured Superdrive two wheel drive victory, as well as seventh overall, were his once again. Hetherington and Nolan finished second in class and eighth overall, with the Duffy brothers taking third in class and ninth overall.

 TOP TEN FINISHERS