They thought they had lost it all on the final stage!
As their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 spun and took what felt like an age to fire up; Jason Mitchell and Paddy McCrudden thought their lead of the 2025 Sean Conlon Memorial Tipperary Forest Rally had all but evaporated.
However, a stunning push over the closing kilometres of the Kilworth stage saw the pair arrive back to Mitchelstown as victors, and claim maximum Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship points for the second time this season!
On a scorching hot day in the woods, dust and heat were a talking point; so too was the red-hot pace amongst the leading crews.
First blood went the way of Andrew Purcell and Liam Brennan in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. They went fastest on the Combaun opener. However, just over seven seconds would separate the leading five cars.
Mitchell and McCrudden, second on the opener, would up the pace and claim the lead on the rest of the loop; returning to the mid-day halt with a gap of 9.7 seconds.
Championship leaders Pat O’Connell and Mark Wiley in third even after suffering a puncture that had ripped the rear arch off their Ford Fiesta R5.
Purcell and Brennan set another fastest time in the afternoon and looked set to capitalise from Mitchell’s mistake.
However, they had to stop at the scene of an accident and received a nominal time. Leaving a final gap of just 3.2 seconds between the pair.
Finishing third in a remarkable drive were Darren Gass and Neil Shanks in a VW Polo GTi R5. The former Tarmac champion has only competed once on Gravel since 2009 before claiming a podium on the Tipperary event.
In the race for the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally 2WD Championship; it was a remarkable result for Cian Caldwell and Derry Long as they romped home with over a minute to spare on a huge field of talent in their Peugeot 208 Rally4.
However, the podium was even more unexpected with a pair of older R2 cars joining, making it a FWD lockout.
Ross Ryan and James Deane brought their Ford Fiesta home second, just 2.3 seconds ahead of Oran Nulty and Hugh O’Donnell in their Citroen C2 R2 Max.
In the J1000 battle, it was a first win in the series for James McShea and Grace O’Brien in their VW Up!
The pair returned to the podium in Mitchelstown with just 1.6 seconds to spare over Kyle Drury and Karl Egan. Who took the lead in the standings.
Ryan Caldwell and Breen McNamee rounded out the top three. Making it a really special day for the Caldwell family alongside brother Cian’s 2WD success.
Elsewhere in the class battles on what was an at times dusty and tricky event, John Ward and Tommy Hayes claimed Class 2 honours in a real breakthrough performance.
Tommy Furlong and Patrick O’Sullivan also showed impressive pace in their debut win on gravel in Class 2A. James Boland and John McCay took home the Class four honours, while Pat O’Connell and Mark Wiley clinched Class 5.
In Class 9, it was a second successive victory for Sammy Scollan and Niall McCarron. James Sinnott and Peter Brennan claimed Class 10 while it was great to see Christy Butler and Ann Hutchinson winning Class 11F.
Michael Cuddihy and Kevin Barry won a close battle in Class 11R, while Walter Burke and Bobby Cooper wrapped up Class 12.
The tightest battle of all was in Class 13, where Jason Roche and Jason Porter took the spoils with just 2.6 seconds to spare. Whereas, JF Shovelin and Dylan Baskin won Class 14 on only their second day on Gravel. Larry Doyle won Class 15, while Jack Hallahan & David Rea were winners in Class 16.
The action continues in the 2025 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship as the series head west for the Mayo Forest Rally on May 31st. A return to the Ballina area is of huge intrigue to competitors as it marks the final event before the summer break in the series.
