McNulty closes in on championship

Editorial Department • Published 26 Aug 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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Alastair Fisher’s result at the Ulster Rallu guaranteed him the Group N title.

RALLYING

Barry McNulty moved a step closer to becoming the first Fermanagh man to win the British Rally Championship after navigating Keith Cronin to second in Group N in last weekend’s Ulster Rally, one place ahead of Alastair Fisher.

For Alastair his result guaranteed him the Group N title with one round to spare, and he is still in contention for the outright title.

Right from the start it was clear the top two positions on the leader board would be decided by the WRC machinery of Derek McGarrity and Gareth MacHale, but behind them the battle for championship points in both the British and Irish Championships was developing into a tightly contested battle.

The main rivals to Cronin and McNulty’s hopes of success came from the Mitsubishi of Gyndaf Evans, and the pair were locked a battle throughout Friday’s stages. Apart from a minor off road excursion on the second stage and a spin at a chicane on the same stage, the Subaru pair finished the first day with a slender ten second advantage.

After a season packed with retirements on the British Championship rounds Alastair Fisher was focused on maximising his Irish Championship points, and was locked in his own battle with Aaron MacHale. He held a 30 second advantage over the Dubliner by the end of day one, with his only complaint of the day resulting from a heavy landing which damaged a shock absorber.

Saturday saw MacHale steadily close the gap to Fisher, the Dubliner eventually edging ahead of the Trillick driver with three stages remaining. For Barry McNulty and Cronin the fight for British Championship points took a decisive turn in their favour when Evans crashed out of the rally, allowing them to claim second placed points behind an impressive Craig Breen. The result means they go into the final round of the series knowing a finish inside the top eight will be enough to see them crowned as British Rally Champions.

In the Irish Tarmac Championship Alastair lies second overall behind Gareth MacHale, who finished runner up to McGarrity on the Ulster. With one dropped score to be factored into the final equation MacHale is firm favourite to lift the title with only the Cork 20 rally remaining, while Fisher, Aaron MacHale and Craig Breen are all in with a chance of claiming second spot.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 26 Aug 10

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