Sam Moffett leads the Joule Donegal International Rally at the end of day two

Monaghan driver Sam Moffett leads the Joule Donegal International Rally after Day Two.

Moffett, winner of the rally in 2013, in a Fiesta WRC with James Fulton on the pace notes,  will take a 17.3 second lead into tomorrow's final six stages of the rally.

Rally favourite Craig Breen, also in a Fiesta with Paul Nagle sitting alongside him, are in second place with Callum Devine, in a Fiesta R5, RC2, in third place. Devine from Derry with Brian Hoy, on the notes, are  23.5 seconds behind Breen.

Moffett took the lead in SS 8, Gartan second time around after rally leader Declan Boyle crashed his Fiesta WRC and was unable to continue.

Boyle was the second big casualty of the rally; the other great  Donegal hope Donagh Kelly was forced out of the rally before it even got underway, Kelly's Fiesta WRC Car developed mechanical problems just before SS 1 on Friday.  

Two time winner of the rally Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy finished day two in fourth place and though they have some time to make up on  leader Moffett, the Fermanagh/Donegal combination are not out of the reckoning.

The second of the Moffett brothers Josh with Keith Moriarity alongside him in their Hyundai i20 R5, RC2, are in fifth place with three in-a-row winners and local favourites Manus Kelly and Donall Barrett, also in a Hyundai i20 R5, RC2 in sixth place.

Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble, Fiesta R5 are in seventh place.  The top ten is completed by Joseph McGonigle and Paul Geaney, from Muff, in a Fiesta WRC in eighth place, Merion Evans/ Jonathan Jackson, in a Hyundai i20, RC2, in ninth place with Niall Maguire and James O’ Reilly, in a Subaru WRC, in tenth place.

Tyrone man Ryan Loughran with Donegal man Gareth Doherty on the notes, in an Escort Mk 2, lead the National Rally.

They are 0.7 seconds ahead of the all Donegal crew of Damian Tourish and Domhnaill McAlaney, also in an Escort, with Declan Gallagher and Derek Heena, in a Starlet 14, in third place.