Doherty wins Cork 20 finale as Moffett seals ITRC title
Moffett set the early pace with a fastest time on Cork 20’s committed opening stage, with both Doherty and David Kelly admitting they had been sloppy as the rest of the field struggled to commit fully on the high-speed test. Doherty responded immediately on stage two despite not being happy with his driving, then delivered another fastest time on stage three to move 0.5 seconds clear of the championship leader.
Moffett hit back on stage four to reclaim top spot, but Doherty’s response was emphatic. The rain that arrived on stage five shook up the order across the field, and Doherty seized the moment with a rapid 5.4-second fastest time to move back into the lead. The Kilkenny crew never relinquished it from there, dominating the second half of Saturday to establish a commanding 35.5-second advantage heading into Sunday.
Despite a brief setback on stage nine, Doherty’s pace proved too strong across the remaining stages as he cruised to a maiden international victory. With Moffett only needing to finish on the podium to seal the title, the Toyota Yaris Rally2 crew wisely took a measured approach to Sunday’s tricky conditions. Their runner-up finish was never in doubt ahead of the fighting pack behind.
Eamonn Kelly enjoyed a strong return to Rally2 machinery, the Toyota driver finding his Yaris nervous early on before settling into a rhythm that yielded stage wins on both stage ten and stage 13. A five-second margin on the latter solidified his third place, capping an impressive weekend that followed his recent Ulster Historic victory.
Matt Edwards marked his return to Irish competition after over a year away with a fighting drive to fourth. The Welshman overcame an early overshoot to climb through the field, setting the second-fastest time on stage nine before a late battle with Keelan Grogan and David Kelly decided the placings on the final stage.
Grogan’s Skoda Fabia Rally2 debut proved one of the weekend’s revelations with two stage wins across the event. The Leitrim driver had been fourth before he was usurped by Edwards and Circuit of Ireland winner David Kelly on Cork’s deciding stage.
MRF Tyres Cork 20 Rally top five:
1 Doherty/Murphy (Skoda Fabia Rally2) 1:53:49.6s
2 Moffett/Hayes (Toyota Yaris Rally2) +48.8s
3 E.Kelly/Burns (Toyota Yaris Rally2) +56.3
4 Edwards/Stoneman (Volkswagen Polo R5) +1:23.1
5 D.Kelly/Buckley (Skoda Fabia Rally2) +1:28.6
McEvoy Motorsport & Flat 2 The Hat Modified ITRC
Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan claimed a comfortable Modified victory despite early handling troubles with the rear of their Ford Escort Mk2. McKenna shared the fastest time with Padraig Egan on the opening stage, before the pair traded places with Kenneth Cullinane and Vincent O’Shea for the runner-up spot as Egan moved into the overall Class 14 lead.
A rapid stage five saw McKenna seize a slender 0.2-second advantage, and the Donegal crew never looked back from there. A commanding overnight lead of 14.2 seconds over Egan, with Cullinane in third, set up a comfortable final day for McKenna, who extended his advantage across Sunday’s six stages to claim a one-minute modified victory in the County Cork countryside.
1 McKenna/Grennan (Ford Escort Mk2) 2:03:04.4s
2 Egan/Ryan (Ford Escort) +1:01.0s
3 Cullinane/O’Regan (Darrian T90 GTR) +2:02.3
4 Walsh/Doonan (Ford Escort) +3:09.5
5 Fitzpatrick/Reade (Ford Escort Mk1) +9:07.7
Wales Motorsport Historic ITRC
Jason McSweeney and Liam Brennan produced a maximum-attack final stage to claim both the Cork 20 Historic victory and the 2026 Wales Motorsport Historic ITRC title in a thrilling season-ending battle with Ray Breen and Damien Morrissey.
Breen opened the rally with the fastest time in his Subaru Legacy, but McSweeney’s Ford Escort WRC hit back with a fastest time of its own on stage four. The gaps spread further on stage six as McSweeney extended his advantage by 12.3 seconds, while Michael McDaid and Ronan Campbell enjoyed a tight battle for fourth, just 0.6 seconds apart, before both jumped ahead of Adrian Evans to fight for third at the close of Saturday.
Campbell’s championship hopes suffered a blow on stage ten when he dropped 20 seconds to Evans, losing fourth place to the Welshman. At the front, Breen refused to give up the fight, a string of late stage wins closing his deficit to McSweeney to just 7.2 seconds with one stage remaining in a winner-takes-all scenario.
However, McSweeney’s nerve held on the deciding test, his maximum-attack drive securing a 32.8-second victory that also delivered the Historic ITRC crown in a fitting climax to the season.
Jordan Jones’ fourth-place finish alongside Adrian Evans secured the Wales Motorsport Historic ITRC Co-Drivers’ title.
Cork 20 Historic top five:
1 McSweeney/Brennan (Ford Escort WRC) 2:08:53.7s
2 Breen/Morrissey (Subaru Legacy) +32.8s
3 McDaid/Stubbs (BMW M3) +6:12.0
4 Evans/Jones (BMW M3) +7:15.1
5 Campbell/Greaney (Ford Escort Mk2) +8:25.7
Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC
Aaron and Caolan Reid claimed both the Cork 20 Junior Rally victory and the Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC title after a dramatic final stage swing on the championship decider.
Darragh Walsh and Gary Lombard had dominated the rally throughout Saturday, winning all of the first seven stages, but their campaign ended in heartbreak with a retirement on the final test. The result promoted the Reids into the rally-winning position, with Catherine Walsh and Ava O’Driscoll finishing second, and Darragh Mullins and Sophie Byrnes claiming third.
Cork 20 Junior top three:
1 Reid/Reid (Honda Civic) 1:17:05.8s
2 C.Walsh/O’Driscoll (Honda Civic) +5:21.3
3 Mullins/Byrnes (Honda Civic) +5:55.6
Photos:
CIR26_DOHERTY_DH (by D Harrigan Images): Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy claimed their first-ever Irish Tarmac event win on the Cork 20.
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