PHILIP HARRIS won his first round of the RIAC/Coras National Rally Championship when he led home fellow Donegal driver Hugh Martin Doherty in Saturday's Donegal Harvest Rally. Harris and his co driver Don Wilmont made best of the wet and treacherous conditions in their Subaru Legacy. Seamus Leonard was third in his Formula Two Nissan.
Doherty in a rear wheel drive BMW was unable to match the traction of the four wheel drive Subaru. He narrowed the gap to 11 seconds on stage seven but an overshoot cost him time and at the finish the winning margin was 23 seconds.
Leonard held off a tremendous late challenge from Cathal Rogers who won the two litre class in a Ford Escort. Norman Armstrong slid his Escort out of the rally on the 12 mile stage at Cashelnagor, but still holds second overall in the championship which has already been won by Carlow's Stephen Murphy.
. Gordon Erskine won Saturday's Leinster MC GVB Cup sporting trial, held at Tiglin, Co Wicklow. This was Gordon's second successive win of the season and Gordon Watkins, in his Sheave VW Special, finished just one mark behind. Philip Erskine was third, ahead of Gerry Freeman and Stephen Bell, who won Grade was fifth at the wheel of the latest front engined Erskine VW Special.
