County Cork driver Brian O’Mahony and County Mayo co-driver John Higgins claimed their first points of the season in the National Rally Championship as they finished the Mayo Stages Rally last Sunday (8 March).

The crew came home seventh overall, sixth in the series and the first two-wheel drive car in their OM Concrete Products and Priority Geotechnical-backed Super 1600 Renault Clio and are now looking ahead to this weekend’s two-day (14 – 15 March) West Cork Rally.

The pair had a relatively trouble-free run in round two of the National Championship across Higgins’ home turf as they battled through extreme weather conditions of snow, sleet, hail and rain.

The car was using more fuel than normal and is believed to be an injector problem - the same issue that prevented them from finishing the first round, the Birr Stages Rally last month, as they ran out of petrol two kilometres from the end.

But they hope to resolve the issue ahead of the Clonakilty-based tarmac event this weekend.

They have contested the West Cork Rally three times before, last year struggling to be on the pace due to a diff problem but they still finished second in class.

This time out they are aiming to be up there with the leading two-wheel drive competitors as they take a break from championship action to tackle the familiar stages.

“We’re pleased with the result in Mayo and are now looking ahead to this weekend,” 24-year-old O’Mahony said.

“It’ll be nice to have a rest from the championship even though we’re pleased to be doing the National series again, it’s a good championship with some good events.

“The West Cork’s an event I really enjoy and so long as we can be up there with the other two-wheel drive cars we’ll be happy.”

O’Mahony and Higgins start the West Cork Rally at number 10.