Knockalla Hill Climb competitors remember fallen colleagues

Competitors paused at the start of the Knockalla Hill Climb on Saturday for a poignant minute’s silence.

Drivers remembered lost colleagues before the event held on the iconic Knockalla hill.

A bumper entry list has been received with the Danny Gormley Memorial trophy, the John Lenister Trophy and the new Two Day Rally Challenge up for grabs.

In June, Gene McDonald and Daire Maguire lost their lives while taking part in the Sligo Stages Rally.

The fatal collision happened during special stage 6, Carrickbanagher at Carrowcushcly in Ballymote.

Jason Gibson guards Bonagee United against ‘acting the big shots’

"It’s Bonagee United we’re playing for so we need to have a bit of manners and respect the Division we’re in."

Driver Mr McDonald and his navigator Mr Maguire were pronounced dead at the scene. The experienced competitors were popular figures across the Irish rallying scene.

Ken Block, who competed in the 2019 Donegal International Rally, died following a snowmobile accident in Utah in January.

Block gained a massive following and was particularly famous for a Gymkhana series, which saw him drive high-powered cars around inner-city challenges.

In 2019, Block took on the Donegal International Rally in a 1994 Escort Cosworth. His bid ended on SS2, Grianan, after he and Alex Gelsomino, his navigator, crashed out.

In April, Craig Breen lost his life in a tragic accident in Croatia.

The factory Hyundai driver went off the road during a team test on the asphalt roads. His co-driver James Fulton uninjured.

Breen, who was 33, competed in Donegal on three occasions and was in the county when Manus Kelly from Glenswilly was tragically killed in June 2019 on Special Stage 15, Fanad Head.