No stopping Devine and O'Sulliavan as victory secures title

The closed roads around Newry decided the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship with Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan not only winning the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally but the title for the second time with a round to go.

The Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver had a lead of 12.9 seconds following six stages on Friday that visited the Camlough and Slieve Gullion area right into the night before stages in the Banbridge area for day two on what was the 47th year of the event.

At the Carnbane Industrial Estate finish ramp the Claudy driver was in front by 21.4 seconds from Welsh visitor Osian Pryce who was Hyundai i20 Rally2 mounted and under the guidance of Andy Hayes.

Damian Toner has much experience over the likes of Gullion and, with Aodhan Gallagher, won the National rally in the crowd favourite Ford Escort Mk2 from Gareth Black and Connor Dunlop.

Newry’s John Gordon brought the Gordon Automotive Ford Escort Mk2 home in tenth overall and third in the National section with Garth Neill, after putting mechanical issues at the Down Rally to bed.

The Ulster Rally utilised stages around the Newry and Banbridge areas over the two dayswith 12 stages and 100 miles of competitive miles for the crews. New for 2025 was aRegroup at The Boulevard Outlet, allowing hundreds of spectators the chance to see thecars and stars close up - just moments after tackling the stages. Mayor of Armagh City,Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council - Stephen Moutray was present to help wave theevent off into the Saturday afternoon stages.

Speaking at the end of the final speed test, Devine was elated. “It’s fantastic, the rally couldn’t have gone any better for us - to get the win as well is brilliant. It’s been a great year for us, we didn’t actually plan a championship campaign but when we won in Killarney it gave us an incentive and to win four rounds on the bounce is incredible and my first Ulsterwin just tops it all off. Everything was faultless - Noel reading the notes, the team, my family - it’s a big effort from everyone to pull it all together.”

Speaking about the event - Devine was full of praise for the volunteer team from the Northern Ireland Motor Club.

“The event has run like clockwork, so incredibly smooth and the weather was superb. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, marshals and organisers for making all of this happen - without them it wouldn’t be possible. It’s been a great rally all round.”

Elsewhere the meteoric rise of Kevin Eves and Chris Melly (Ford Fiesta Rally2) was clear to see, with the Irish pairing locking horns with more experienced crews around them. A clean and tidy run saw them chalk up fourth - their best ITRC result since their switch from a two-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla. Rounding out the top five was English duo Neil Roskell and

Dan Barritt (Ford Fiesta Rally2) - who can be proud of their efforts with one of their best

drives this side of the Irish Sea. The crew had made it up to sixth overall and were trying to

keep tabs on British Asphalt rivals Mark Kelly and Will Atkins (VW Polo R5) ahead, but a last

stage mechanical woe put Kelly and Atkins on the sidelines and out of the lead in the

National Rally in the process.

In the race for the Modified victory, Damian Toner and Aodhan Gallagher made it back-to-back wins on the Ulster in their Ford Escort Mk2 after a storming drive to eighth overall, fastest rear-wheel-drive car honour, and with Kelly and Atkins being forced to retire - the accolades continued for the MK2 crew with the National Rally win going their way too.

Ben McFall and Damian McAuley on the opening day dominated the front-wheel-drive RC4 class in their Ford Fiesta Rally4, but an off road excursion retired them out of the order on Saturday morning - handing the lead to Kalum Graffin and Mark McGeehan aboard their Peugeot 208 Rally4.

Graffin had just switched from the gravel of the British championship the weekend before and was learning his new Peugeot on the sealed-surface for the first time. The Irishman improved with every stage - but cited more will come in the future. The class win and 15th overall is a strong result for the teenager on his Ulster debut.

The 2025 edition of the Ulster Rally was also under the watchful eye of the world motorsport governing body - the FIA, as the Northern Ireland event aims for a slot on the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship calendar. Stepping into the spotlight on the stages in the Historic Class was John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson who commanded the Historic section in their powerful BMW M3. The pair were a crowd favourite and entertained their way to the category win and 11th overall in their sideways fashion.

Elsewhere, the Saturday Nissan Micra event was won by Andrew Bushe and Geraldine McBride who walked away with the Nissan Micra class with their Kit Car variant, while Ronan Dorrian and Mickey Joe Brown (Honda Civic) won the Junior Rally.

Reflecting on the 48th instalment of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington said: “The weather was perfect, the spectators came out in their droves and we put on a tough, two day test for the competitors - all the ingredients for a fantastic event once again.

“The event was also extra special for our partner Modern Tyres, with the rally marking the last big event in their 60th anniversary year, and we are delighted to have worked with them for the past five years. Their support is unwavering and they have been the perfect host for the rally once again with their fantastic facilities in Newry. Thank you to them, all our other partners, competitors, marshals, volunteers, spectators, residents and homeowners on the route - we couldn’t have done it without you all.”