Alastair Fisher finished second overall and won his class on Sunday’s Tipperary Stone Throwers Rally. 
He was never likely to beat the more powerful WRC Fiesta of Declan Boyle, but he finished sixteen seconds ahead of fellow Irish Tarmac Championship rival Josh Moffatt after a relatively trouble free run over the tarmac stages. 
The Trillick driver was using the event primarily as a warm up for the upcoming Ulster Rally, and was delighted with how the event went.
“It was a very good event and we were very pleased with the result,” said Alastair. 
“It was really a test to get prepared for the Ulster in two weeks. It has been six weeks since Donegal and it was definitely worthwhile because we were a bit rusty in the morning. 
“We settled in nicely though and we speeded up as the day went on.”
The World Rally Cars of Peadar Hurson and Declan Boyle were the early pacesetters, but Alastair was the best of the rest after the opening stage and quickly opened out a lead of over five seconds over the rest of the R5 competitors. 
A stage two time only 0.2 seconds slower than Boyle saw Fisher leapfrog over Hurson into second spot, and with the Subaru driver then retiring on stage three it was left to a straight fight between the R5 cars for second place. 
After the first loop of three stages Alastair had eked out a five second lead over Josh Moffett, and he added a further four and a half seconds over the second loop. 
Further fastest class times on the final three tests confirmed Alastair’s position as the first R5 car home, and provided him with the ideal warm up for the Ulster Rally in just over a week’s time.
“It was nice to be the leading R5 car,” he admitted.
“Josh Moffett was going quite hard but thankfully we managed to pull away from him over the last few stages and finished with a good gap. 
“We had no issues at all. The weather was bone dry and we were on hard slicks from the first stage. 
“The stages were quite fast and dusty and gravelly in places so it was a difficult event. 
“The Ulster is going to be big. I think there are about 26 cars in the class and it is going to be a strong event. 
“There are three or four drivers still in with a chance of winning the championship, and with two rounds left it is still all to play for, ” commented Fisher.