Patrick O’Brien Wins Thrilling Bushwhacker Rally in Omagh for Fourth Consecutive Year
Ardee News and Sport — Omagh’s Patrick O’Brien has claimed his fourth straight victory at the McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally, securing the win in dramatic fashion on the final stage. O’Brien, driving his R317 Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia R5, overturned a 1.4-second deficit to fellow Omagh native Cathan McCourt (Ford Fiesta Rally2) to win by a razor-thin margin of just 0.7 seconds—the closest finish of his four-year reign.
In what has become an annual battle between the two local drivers, the competition once again went down to the wire. O’Brien, who returns to Perth this week, demonstrated nerves of steel on the final stage to clinch victory. Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill, piloting a VW Polo GTi R5, finished third, 36.8 seconds behind.
McCourt set the early pace, leading the rally after the opening stages by 2.2 seconds ahead of Omagh’s Niall McCullagh, who was making his return after almost a year out of action. Hamill held third place, while O’Brien sat 5.2 seconds off the lead, struggling with a loose surface.
McCourt lost time after his handbrake failed on the second stage, allowing O’Brien to pounce, setting a blistering pace despite going off at a square left corner. By the Omagh service, O’Brien had moved into the lead by 3.5 seconds. However, McCourt fought back on stages 4 and 5, retaking a 1.4-second lead before O’Brien’s decisive final push secured victory.
Elsewhere, the duo of Derek Mackarel and Eamonn Creedon (Ford Fiesta R5) took maximum points in both the Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally Championship and the McGrady Insurance NI Forest Rally Challenge. The result secured Mackarel his first-ever Irish Forest Rally Championship title, with Creedon needing just one more round to seal the co-driver’s title. Both drivers also clinched the NI Forest series crown.
Shane McGirr (Lada Riva) from Fivemiletown took the modified rear-wheel drive category, overcoming clutch issues to secure the Irish National title. His main rivals, Mickey Conlon and Hugh McQuaid, retired their Ford Escorts, leaving McGirr to take the victory.
In international news, Dubliner Alex Denning and British teammate Thomas Emson earned their best finishes of the season in the GT4 European Series at Monza, with a pair of top-five results. Driving an Elite Motorsport-run McLaren Artura, the duo finished fourth in the opening race and fifth in the second, despite a delayed driver switch.
Looking ahead, former World Rally champion Petter Solberg is set to compete in the Clare Forest Rally on October 5, piloting a Land Rover Defender modified for the Bowler Defender Series.
McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally Results (Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally Championship & McGrady Insurance NI Forest Rally Challenge)
1. P. O’Brien/S. O’Brien (Skoda Fabia R5) – 36m 02.2s
2. C. McCourt/B. Hoy (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +0.7s
3. V. Hamill/A. Grennan (VW Polo GTi R5) +37.5s
4. R. Caldwell/S. Ferris (Skoda Fabia R5) +45.8s
5. K. White/A. Nestor (Hyundai i20 R5) +1m 56.1s
6. M. Cairns/P. Ward (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +1m 57.5s
7. D. Mackarel/E. Creedon (Ford Fiesta R5) +2m 35.3s
8. J. McCarville/C. McNulty (VW Polo GTi R5) +2m 54.0s
9. D. Condell/M. Coady (Ford Fiesta R5) +3m 08.8s
10. A. Wray/K. Bustard (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +3m 10.6s