Callum Devine has won the Donegal International Rally for the second year in a row after coming out on top in a dramatic 2024 event.
Devine and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan won ahead of Welsh driver Meirion Evans by 17.4 seconds after Keith Cronin and Matt Edwards both crashed out of the lead.
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship leader Cronin had an accident on Friday that ripped a wheel off his Ford Fiesta, while Edwards hit trouble early on Sunday but recovered to finish fourth.
Devine, who was giving the Skoda Fabia a debut on Irish tarmac, also survived a spin on the penultimate stage to win one of the biggest events in Irish motorsport.
“It’s amazing,” Devine told On the Pacenote.
“It hasn’t sunk in. I’m thrilled. The pace has been fantastic this weekend and to get back-to-back Donegal wins is just amazing”.
Edwards and Cronin set the early pace from the first stage on Friday but the latter made an uncharacteristic error and crashed out on the fifth stage.
That put multiple British Rally champion Edwards into the lead and his advantage was over Devine stood at 16.2 seconds heading into Sunday’s six stages.
However, Edwards suffered suspension damage on the 16th stage to hand Devine the lead and, despite the scare on the penultimate loop, the 30-year-old held his nerve on the final stage to take victory for the second year in a row.
Evans took advantage on the drama in front to take a strong second place, while David Kelly was a superb third after podium contender Cathan McCourt crashed out on Sunday’s first stage.
The next round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is the Ulster Rally on 16-17 August.
