JASON Mitchell – with Caolan McKenna on the notes – proved unstoppable on the Dog Leap Stages Rally as he romped to a 28-second victory on the loose in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.
The last time the event ran in the forests back in 2010, Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan held their nerve to clinch top spot by only two seconds from the Subaru Impreza WRC of Kenny McKinstry.
On Saturday, the result was more comprehensive as number three seed Mitchell used his more favourable road position to set the quickest times on all but one of the meeting’s six special stages.
It was the Strabane driver’s third success on gravel aboard the German car and it came hot on the heels of his 10 second triumph south of the Irish border at August’s Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally.
“The event was first class and any driver you speak to will tell you it is the stages that ultimately make an event and the two stages that ran through Cam and Springwell forest gave us just about everything – they were fast and flowing in parts, and technical with big jumps in others,” he said.
“It is one of those rallies, I think, that will only get better if the stages are run more often. The icing on the cake for us was winning almost every stage and the weather was fantastic, too, so all in all, a super event. I hope we get the chance to do it again and don’t have to wait as long next time.”
While Mitchell’s quest for top spot went unhindered, the battle for runner-up spoils ebbed and flowed between the Ford Fiesta R5 of Jordan Hone and Vivian Hamill’s Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.
The silver medal was eventually settled in favour of Hone, who received a corrected time after he stopped with Paul Britton towards the end of stage two to check that his crashed rival was okay.
Only 3.7 seconds separated them heading into the deciding 7.47-miles of ‘Cam 3′ with a front-left puncture for Hamill proving decisive as he nursed his car home to round out the podium positions.
The top five was completed by the Ford Fiesta Rally2 duo of Darragh Cairns and Gareth Sayers, while sixth overall ensured Shane McGirr was crowned NI Forest Rally Challenge 2WD champion.
Meanwhile, Ahoghill driver Brandon McCaughan has set his sights on securing a seat in the Ligier European Series in 2025 after impressing on his overseas debut in the competition at Portimão.
Having qualified with Danish team-mate Mikkel Pedersen on the front row of the grid for Friday’s double-header in Portugal, they finished Race One in fourth and Race Two back in fifth position.
In both, their push for silverware was thwarted by costly spins, but despite this, it has given the 20-year-old a taste for more. “The races were a steep learning curve, but I feel I adapted well and I am pleased with the speed I showed across my stints,” said ex-Formula Ford regular McCaughan.
“It was a real shame to miss out on a podium finish with Mikkel, but we managed to come away with two strong results and I know that with more time in the car, I would be up there fighting for wins.
“A huge thank you to everyone at Team Virage for giving me the opportunity and for giving us such a competitive car at Portimão, and thank you to my sponsors for making this fantastic experience happen,” he continued.
“The Ligier European Series is definitely something we are looking at for 2025 and I am confident I could be a title challenger after we enjoyed such a positive weekend.”
