CIRCUIT OF IRELANDEAMONN BOLAND and Damien Morrissey in a Subaru WRC scored a 4.9-second victory over Gareth MacHale and Craig Perry in a Ford Focus WRC in the three-day Circuit of Ireland, which finished in Newcastle, Co Down, yesterday.
After Friday's retirement of Mark Higgins, three-time winner Derek McGarrity was second overall on day one in a great comeback after his serious crash two years ago in the Manx Rally.
Luck was not with the Ulsterman and his co-diver, Diarmuid Falvey, however, when the engine of their Subaru WRC expired on Saturday morning.
The big push from Tim McNulty and Eugene O'Donnell in a Subaru WRC did not happen and it was left to Gareth MacHale to pile on the pressure in hot pursuit of the leader. Over stages 18 and 19 MacHale put in a tremendous effort but the always steady and seldom spectacular Boland was fastest over stage 20, the final stage, to clinch the victory.
Aaron MacHale and Killian Duffy finished fourth in a Ford Focus WRC, ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancers of John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson and Brendan Cumiskey/ Conor Foley, who were first and second, respectively in Group N.
Toni Kelly of Letterkenny finished a remarkable 11th overall in a Honda Civic, despite an accident on Saturday when she ran into the back of Joe McMonagle's Honda.
After the first two rounds of the Global Tarmac Championship, Boland leads on 25 points from McNulty (22) and MacHale (16). Round three is the Killarney Rally Of The Lakes on May 2nd-4th.
