Derek McGarrity and James McKee added another trophy to their already bursting cabinet with victory at Saturday’s KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally, but it was only on the final two stages that McGarrity started to challenge for the top spot.
 
The event, which was round four of the Hankook MSA N.I. Stage Rally Championship, saw one of the closest finishes in Tour of the Sperrins history. Little more than three seconds separated the top four crews at the Walsh’s Hotel finish ramp, with McGarrity just edging out the Mark 2 Escort belonging to Declan McNaughton and Sean Hayde.
 
The early stages told a totally different story as McGarrity struggled with a misted up windscreen in the difficult, wet conditions. Heavy rain was pelting the narrow Davagh roads, leaving a frustrated McGarrity down in sixth overall after stage one.
 
Kenny McKinstry was also in trouble after his Subaru lost its paddle gear change on the way to the start. His differentials also stopped working, while fellow Impreza WRC driver, Denis Biggerstaff, was having some gearbox troubles of his own.
 
Instead, it was Davagh master Camillus Bradley who demolished the opposition on that opening test. He threaded his Escort through the slippery lanes to set fastest time by an impressive 10 seconds from the Group N Evo belonging to Mark Massey and Andrew McVeigh. But sadly, Bradley’s incredible run came to a premature end midway through stage two when he crashed out of the rally.
 
Bradley’s exit also caused Declan McNaughton some problems. In the confusion surrounding the incident, an SOS board was shown. It was an innocent mistake, as both crew members were OK. They were merely holding the board the wrong way around!
 
McNaughton slowed as a result to check that both Bradley and navigator Danny O’Neill were uninjured. McNaughton lost precious seconds as a result, dropping outside the top 10 from an initial fourth overall. However, the crew appealed their stage time after the finish and were awarded a notional time which placed them second overall.
 
At the top of the standings, it was Mark Massey and Andrew McVeigh who led after stage two. Despite catching Emma McKinstry during the test, Massey still did enough to move to the top of the leaderboard ahead of McNaughton and third placed Raymond Johnston.
 
Stage three saw another new name move to the top of the tables as Raymond Johnston set a stunning time through the test. He moved into a three second lead from Massey while Declan McNaughton spun his Escort, but there was trouble on stage four for new leader Johnston. His intercom stopped working, forcing the Fermanagh man to drive the stage blind. Then, three corners from the finish, he punctured two tyres, losing yet more seconds.
 
With the sun beginning to emerge from behind the clouds, the stage had started to dry but it was still very slippery. The dramas allowed Mark Massey to move back in front despite sliding on to some grass. But victory was by no means a sure thing, as he led the event by the tightest of margins – one-tenth of a second!
 
Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan were second overall and ready to pounce, but the Sunoco Fuels Group N Evo men had to keep their eye on another driver. Just as the rain disappeared, so had Derek McGarrity’s windscreen problems, and he was on a mission. Fastest through the penultimate test, he was in third overall, a little more than one second adrift of the rally leaders.
 
With nine seconds separating the top five crews going into the final stage, it was anyone’s game. Mark Massey had the advantage but sadly he slipped off the road and out of the event. Second placed Donagh Kelly also hit trouble, losing precious seconds with an overshoot.
 
Instead, it was Derek McGarrity who arrived home as the event victor. Despite opting for slick tyres, which he later admitted was a brave decision – and the wrong decision, the Glengormley driver sealed the KBB Tour of the Sperrins victory by 1.3 seconds!
 
Declan McNaughton pulled out all the stops through the final test in his Escort, and was actually faster than McGarrity, but it wasn’t enough to snatch the win. He had to settle for second overall, while third placed Raymond Johnston, who was fastest on stage five, claimed the final podium spot, as well as Sunoco Fuels Group N honours.
 
Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan admitted that they lost the rally win with that final stage overshoot, and were forced to settle for fourth ahead of Brian Muldoon and Charlie Beattie. Trevor Moore and Ray Fitzpatrick completed the top six.
 
Round five of the Hankook MSA N.I. Rally Championship takes competitors to Newry for the Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally on Saturday 06 June. Additional information about the event, as well as stage by stage bulletins and full results for the KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally, can be found online at www.nirally.com.
 

KBB Tour of the Sperrins 2009 – top 10 overall
 
1 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 35m08.4s
2 Declan McNaughton/Sean Hayde (Escort Mk2) 35m09.7s
3 Raymond Johnston/Rodney Hicks (Evo) 35m10.1s
4 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Evo) 35m11.6s
5 Brian Muldoon/Charlie Beattie (Evo) 35m20.2s
6 Trevor Moore/Ray Fitzpatrick (Escort Mk2) 35m48.5s
7 Neil McCance/Jonny Hart (Evo) 35m59.5s
8 Kieron Graffin/Vincent Fergus (Evo) 36m01.8s
9 Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 36m03.9s
10 Trevor Ferguson/David McElroy (Impreza) 36m06.3s