The Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew of Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin stormed to victory on the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally to strengthen their grip on this season’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title.

Thousands of fans lined the stages of the Northern Ireland Motor Club event to see the pair record what could be a pivotal result in the battle to be crowned champions of the cross-border series.

The winning margin over the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of runners-up and defending Irish Tarmac champions Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan was 15 seconds after 10 stages totalling 83 competitive miles.

Speaking at the finish, Cronin, winner of the Ulster Rally back in 2017, said, “It is great to get the win – I am delighted with the result. Those were some of the toughest stages that we have come across this season – and the mixed conditions added to the challenge.”

Second place at the Northern Ireland Motor Club meeting for Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan keeps their Irish Tarmac title defence dream alive with only September’s Cork ‘20’ International Rally remaining.

A three-horse race effectively became a two-horse affair after Matt Edwards and David Moynihan retired from the third stage of the Ulster Rally.

Edwards’ demise, and mechanical failure for the Citroen C3 Rally2 of James Ford on stage seven, elevated double Irish Tarmac Champion Josh Moffett up to third at the finish.

The meteoric rise of 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Modified Champion Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabis RS Rally2 Evo) continued as he was satisfied with fourth overall, the seat time and mileage proving useful ahead of his next outing at the Galway Summer Rally on 1 September.

In the National section of the event, Welshman Steve Woods and Kenny Hull were the clear victors and, as the second highest ranking Citroen C3 Rally2 crew on the final leaderboard, claimed second-place in the Citroen Racing C3 Rally Trophy.

There was drama – and heartbreak – in the Modified race, meanwhile, as propshaft failure for the Toyota Starlet of Jason Black and Karl Egan sidelined them on stage seven of ten and handed the spoils to Damian Toner and Aodhan Gallagher (Ford Escort Mk2).

Elsewhere, in the Micra Challenge – a one-make series specifically for the Japanese supermini – Philip White and Liam Callaghan came out on top by more than half a minute from Stanley Orr and Jane Edgington. Barry McIntrye and Brian Keohane (Honda Civic) won the Ulster Junior Rally.

Reflecting on the 47th instalment of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington said: “The Modern Tyres Ulster Rally has a fearsome reputation for challenging the very best crews from right around the world and last weekend’s event not only ensured that long-held tradition continued, it also vindicated the decision by organisers to revert to a single-day format for this year – providing a real gruelling, flat-out day of competition which has already had plenty of praise from those who took part.”