Gallagher and Devine reflect on Harvest Rally wins

Callum Devine brought the curtain down on the rally season on Saturday with victory in the Teach Bhillie Donegal Harvest Rally. 

Devine won the Donegal International Rally earlier in the year and, along with his co-driver Noel O’Sullivan, shaded the battle of the VW Polo GTI R5s for a third Harvest Rally in-a-row for the Derry man. 

The winners had 0.11.6 seconds to spare over Eamonn Kelly and co-driver Conor Mohan at the end in and around the Falcarragh and Gortahork area. 

The Devine/Sullivan duo in their VW Polo GTI R5 completed the rally in a time of  33:12.9. It was a perfect end to the season for Devine who had already been crowned  Irish Rally champion.

“We’re delighted,” said Devine after. “It’s been a great year and to end it with three Harvests in a row, it’s just fantastic. There was a great turnout for the event. We’ll take a wee break now. 

“We won the Termac and we won the main one - the Donegal International. And everything else after that was a bonus”. 

The rally was reduced to five stages after an incident involving spectators in SS Stage 5.  

Kelly and Mohan finished in a time of 33:24.5, with another Derry man Desi Henry, and Paddy Robinson calling the notes in a Citroen C3 Rally 2, finished in third place, 0:7.1 seconds behind Kelly and Robinson.

Declan Boyle and John McCafferty in a Citroen finished in fourth place just ahead of his son, Michae,l and Dermot McCafferty in a VW Polo. 

Declan Gallagher and Gavin Doherty, in a Toyota Starlet RWD, finished sixth overall in one of the drives of the day, ahead of Aidan Wray and Niall Burns, in a VW Polo GTI R5. 

The  Gallagher/Doherty combination won class 14. 

“We’re over the moon,” said the ‘Milkman’. “It was such a tough rally, from start to finish. Mark Alcorn and Domhnall McAlaney pushed us right to the very end. It’s nice to come out on top and be here at the ramp at the very end”.

Mark Alcorn and Domhnall McAlaney completed the day in eighth place in a Ford Escort Mk 2 and took second place in Class 14.

Joseph McGonagle and Ciaran Geaney, in a Citroen C 3 Rally 2,  finished in ninth place with Stuart Darcy and Paul Kiely in a VW Polo completing the top ten.