Donegal Harvest Stages Rally all set for lift-off 

Excitement continues to build ahead of this weekend’s Donegal Harvest stages Rally.

On Saturday, three fantastic stages chosen by Clerk of the Course John Crumlish will be the decider in two championships.

The Triton Showers National Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Championship will be decided after the nine stages. 

With many crews in an intense battle all year for the title, the rally is also the penultimate round of the Donegal Commercial Vehicles Club Championship. 

Sponsored by the Orchard Inn, Letterkenny, COC Crumlish has thanked the Crossan family for coming on board for the weekend to sponsor the rally and to hold the ceremonial finish at the venue after the final stage. 

John also expressed his thanks to the stage sponsors MW Fire Solutions, Donegal Commercial Vehicles and Race and Rally for coming on board as well.

Three stages completed three times is the layout for the day with stages based in Trentagh, Carnhill and Ardrummond, with the final section of the Ardrummond test using the old Ramelton Town stage last used over 20 years ago. 

John also wished to thank all the residents along the route for their warm welcome to the area. 

Such was the anticipation for the event returning to the Ramelton area, the Donegal Motorclub is running a marshal training night in the Lennon Lodge in order to facilitate the large number of local volunteers offering to help on the day. 

A spokesperson from the Ramelton area said: “It is great to see a variation of the Ramelton town stage running again. 

“It used to be a large event years ago and will be a fantastic boost to the town once again.

“We are expecting a large amount of spectators hoping to capture some nostalgia, so a group of us decided to work together and volunteer our help for the local area and hopefully it might return again".

Within the championships, there are a number of contenders available for both the overall and class wins. 

Within the Triton Showers National Championship both Eddie Doherty and Daniel Cronin are leading on equal points with the Monaghan Brothers Sam and Josh Moffett second and third respectively. 

All four drivers have the potential to take a championship win with recent results and Josh Moffett is looking to claim the trophy for a potential fourth time.

In the modified section, Rathmullan’s Kevin Gallagher leads after seven rounds in the Darrian T90 ahead of Daniel McKenna in an MK2 Escort. 

The national championship also includes a MKII Challenge which Michael Carbin and Convoy’s Dean O'Sullivan will be hoping to secure. 

The junior championship has become a Donegal shootout with DMC crew Jordan Jervis and Kyle McDaid currently separated by two points, resulting in a winner takes all situation on Saturday.

In the Sligo Pallets Border Championship, Marty Toner and Sam Johnson are joint first overall with Gareth Deazly and Cathal Sheridan joint second and Sam Moffett in third. 

All drivers only separated by two points once again leaving it open to the possibility of a tie. 

Class wise, the Orchard Inn Harvest Stages Rally will be the decider for the majority of the classes, with such Intense racing throughout the year,  reflected in the results with some competitors separated by just six points. 

It’s another Donegal shootout in the Border junior championship, with Kyle McDaid and Jordan Jervis alongside Creeslough’s Jason Wilkinson who currently sits second, three points behind McDaid. 

This opens the possibility for either McDaid or Jervis to claim both championships on completion of the final stage. 

In the Donegal Commercial Vehicles Club Championship, the drivers points show Conor Harvey is in a clear lead ahead of Kevin Gallagher with Jason Mooney and Johnny Wilhare joint third. 

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In the navigator standings, Aidan Friel leads Rory Kennedy by 14 points with multiple contenders for third. 

Looking forward to the event, COC Crumlish says: “Final preparations are well underway for the event with action starting on Saturday morning with the first car due on SS1 at 10:09 am.” 

John once again took the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the early preparation of the event and to all sponsors who came on board