Glengormley's Derek McGarrity and James McKee won Saturday's Townparks Glens of Antrim Rally, but it was 22-year-old Conor McCloskey and Francis Regan who walked away with the prestigious 2008 Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship crown!
 
McCloskey finished 14 seconds adrift of McGarrity but more importantly, 4.5 seconds in front of championship rivals, Sean Devine and Damien Duffin, ensuring he became the youngest ever Northern Ireland rally champion!
 

It was a close fought affair throughout the eight stage event, which was held on closed roads in County Antrim, and there was never any more than 6.5 seconds separating the two title contenders!
 
Indeed, it was a close fought championship, with numerous changes for the lead throughout the season. But in the end, it was the 22-year-old newcomer to the series that reigned supreme and held the number one spot when it mattered most. McCloskey came of age when he claimed his maiden rally victory just five weeks earlier at the McGillin Bushwhacker Rally, and promptly repeated that success with another win at the FM Contracts Down Rally.
 
Under huge amounts of pressure, he showed a maturity beyond his years by taking control from the start of the Townparks event. Switching to a Subaru Impreza WRC hired from event leader Derek McGarrity (the same car which he used at the start of the season), McCloskey settled down quickly. He held a consistent second position behind McGarrity throughout the event, but could never afford to relax, as Devine was only a few seconds adrift.
 
Devine tried hard to catch the flying Kilrea man, and one stage from home, he swiped more than two seconds out of his advantage. But for the Strabane pilot, it was too little, too late, as McCloskey and Regan held on to claim the championship laurels!
 
"I can't believe it!" a jubilant McCloskey after the finish. "I was a bit nervous on Saturday morning but I found the Impreza easier to drive than the Focus. It was a good race all year so it's good to get it - first class! The best about it is we went testing on the Friday morning on the road was white with frost - I wasn't sure if I was going to get a run in her or not!"
 
"We all went out with Sean (Devine) for a bit of craic on Saturday night," McCloskey continued. "We sort of made an agreement in the pub that we'd go to Bournemouth in February for the Sunseeker Rally, so there could be an influx of Irish over there next year!"
 
As expected, Sean Devine and Damien Duffin were disappointed at the finish but congratulated McCloskey on winning the title. In true sportsmanship style, they joined the winning team in their celebrations on Saturday evening.
 
Meanwhile, event winner and former champion, Derek McGarrity, was also in jubilant form at the finish. He and navigator James McKee lost time with a spin earlier in the day, but still brought their Impreza WRC home at the top of the leaderboard.
 
Outside the battle among the top three, Cathal and Eoighan Rogers claimed the Sunoco Fuels production category title and finished fourth overall. The father and son team entered the event on top of the championship tables but it was Neil McCance and Sean Ferris who took the early lead.
 
Unfortunately, the Comber driver overturned his Mitsubishi during stage four, allowing Rogers into the top Group N position. There he stayed until the finish, claiming fourth overall in the process.
 
"It's my first championship victory in more than 30 years," Rogers said afterwards. "Until now, anytime I started a championship, I always failed to finish the rallies!"
 
In the Superdrive two-wheel-drive category, Wesley Patterson and Martin McGarrity finished fifth and topped the Superdrive 2WD crews. However, James Kennedy and John Rowan, who rolled heavily at the end of the opening stage, had already sealed the 2WD title.
 
The 2008 Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship prizegiving will take place at the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown, on Saturday 24 January. Tickets cost £30 but award winners receive one complimentary ticket for the event, which will feature a meal, raffle and live entertainment.
 
The 2009 championship will get underway a few weeks later, starting with Kirkistown Race Circuit's Eurocables Stages. More information will be announced in due course on www.nirally.com.

Townparks Glens of Antrim Rally - top 10 results
 
1 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 45m38.4s
2 Conor McCloskey/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 45m52.5s
3 Sean Devine/Damien Duffin (Impreza WRC) 45m57.0s
4 Cathal Rogers/Eoighan Rogers (Lancer Evo 9) 49m14.2s
5 Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Escort) 49m14.5s
6 Camillus Bradley/Danny O'Neill (Escort) 49m26.3s
7 Andrew Bushe/Richard Hyland (Saxo Super 1600) 49m37.4s
8 Gerard McFall/Brendan Boyle (Escort) 49m47.3s
9 Rodney White/Sorcha Kelly (Sunbeam) 49m47.8s
10 Des Moore/Damian Connolly (Escort) 50m12.6s

2008 Pacenotes MSA N.I. Rally Champions
 
Overall driver: Conor McCloskey
Overall navigator: Francis Regan
 
Sunoco Fuels Group N: Cathal Rogers
Superdrive 2WD: James Kennedy
Junior: Robert Erwin
Ladies award: Emma McKinstry