Donegal Rally: Josh Moffett leads the charge, but margins thin after day one

Josh Moffett, the defending champion, holds a 4.9 second lead overnight after the opening six stages of the 2023 Donegal International Rally.

The Monaghan man got the defence of his crown off to a blistering start, setting the fastest times over Friday's opening two stages, Donegal Bay and Rockhill, but Callum Devine hit back to keep Moffett on the toes.

Moffett, with Andy Hayes on the notes in the Hyundai i20 R5, have just under five seconds to spare on Devine and Noel O'Sullivan in a VW Polo GTI R5.

“Tough, bumpy, tricky roads,” was the verdict of Moffett of the south Donegal asphalt, which is featuring as part of the event for the first time since 1984.

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“We got off to a great start and I'm just trying to keep a happy balance. We've a long two days to go so who knows what'll happen. We'll just keep doing what we're doing. I'm sure Callum and the other guys will be pushing hard.

“It's probably not that important to set a pace in Donegal; it's about being there at the end. We didn't go mad this morning, but the times were coming in for us so we have to be happy with that.”

Sam Moffett is third in another Hyundai i20 R5 while former winners Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy sit neatly in fourth.

The Jennings-Kennedy team are 40.4 seconds off the leader, but their margins might've been closer but for an alternator issue. Indeed, Jennings mused that he was 'very lucky to get back into service' when he reflected on the first six stages.

“We broke the alternator and threw the gear shift across the turbo,” Jennings said.

“Halfway through it we had power steering bother. She completely stopped coming into service, but the mechanics got her pushed in and she seems to be good.“

The Kesh man has had the Ford Fiesta remapped and a new suspension fitted in recent weeks.

With more familiar stages to come, Jennings could yet have a say.

He said: “It's unfortunate that we dropped that six or seven seconds so we're right back now in the clutch of the men behind.

Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy on day one

“I'll just have to up the game tomorrow. We've done a lot of upgrades to the car. We just haven't it dialled into that bad compression jump, but I can't fault the car.”

Just behind Jennings now is County Derry man Desi Henry, who has Kilmacrennan navigator Paddy Robinson alongside him.

A broken diff on the opening stage saw former British Rally champion Matt Edwards lose 25 seconds and the Welshman still isn't happy with the condition of the Polo.

Matt Edwards in action on day one.

“They've found a few things, but nothing that explains the sensation we got on the first stage,” Edwards said.

“We looked at the in-car and there is a definite moment. The vibration is still there. We're not going to give up after coming all this way. There is still something underlying and there's a conversation going on in the car, but I have really enjoyed the stages.”

Edwards sits in seventh with Robert Barrable in eighth while the Donegal duo of David Kelly and Dean O'Sullivan are ninth.