Ryan MacHugh gearing up for a big push at the Donegal Rally

Frosses man Ryan MacHugh has been flying high in 2024, and he’s hoping to bring that momentum into next weekend’s Donegal International Rally. 

A Billy Coleman award nominee last year, MacHugh is a former Junior Irish Tarmac Rally Champion who won the Junior Donegal International Rally and was the Irish Tarmac Junior Champion in 2022-23. 

The Donegal man most recently lost out to Inishowen native Kyle McBride in the RC4 class at the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland - a round of the British Rally Championship – in what was MacHugh’s BRC debut. 

“We were unfortunate in Scotland because we just went off the road on Friday night and lost about 30 seconds, but look, things like that can happen, it’s not ideal, you just have to move on,” said MacHugh. 

And even though he was happy enough with second on the first event outside of Ireland and with the promise of further trips in the future, his attention now turns to Donegal where he and co-driver Declan Boyle in their Ford Fiesta will be aiming to overcome their disappointment last year and make a big impact.  

“Donegal is the one we all look forward to, not just because it’s local, but it’s probably the biggest rally in the country, so we’re looking forward to it all year, this is the big one and we’re confident going into it,” MacHugh said. 

“Our class (RC4) has been competitive all year, so we just hope we can do okay now next weekend. We’re leading the class by about 35 points, so a good finish in Donegal should set us up nicely leading into the championship, and as I said, it’s just about getting the homework done and see where we’re at on the Friday. 

“In terms of the routes, we get a video to look at and we write our own notes to plan before you even go out, that’s basically how we prepare beforehand, so there’s a good bit of study to it but it’s something you just have to do if you want to do well.” 

And while performing in front of your own crowd can bring added pressure, MacHugh is hoping that he’s learned to deal with that after last year and just get on with his job 

“There’s a bit of pressure being from the area, but you try and not let that get to you. I suppose I felt the pressure more last year in the fact the rally was so close to Donegal Town and look, it didn’t go my way in terms of failing at the first stage but we’re just looking to give it our all next weekend and see where it takes us,” he said 

“The pace is going to be hot, so, if we can try to keep it steady and not get too excited or get too ahead of ourselves, we should be okay. Now we will be pushing for the fast win but it’s a long three days, so it’s about being steady and calm and see where that takes us.” 

This year, which marks the 50th annual Donegal Rally, will see over 230 crews registered for the rally, setting a new record. The stages will feature several changes to enhance the competition. 

The three-day event, which marks the fifth round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, boasts an impressive lineup of participants.   

Friday will see the rally return to the stunning Mamore Gap in Inishowen, bringing rallying back to the peninsula after more than 10 years.  

The action continues over the weekend with fourteen stages on Saturday and Sunday, including reconfigurations of some classic routes. 

“It’s up in Inishowen this year too. There’ll be stages that nobody has ever done before it goes down into Coolcross which was ran in 2019, so the fact we haven’t done it before makes it more exciting and makes it a level playing field,” said the Frosses native. 

“Knowing where you’re going is one thing, but when you’re doing it in the rally then, it’s different. Like in Donegal when you’re rallying, you might not know where you’re going but you’ll know the lay of the land in the county. It’s not like in other places where you haven’t a clue where you are, so that helps a bit.”