Donegal talent shines at Mayo Junior Rally, sweeping top three spots

There were honours for Donegal’s contingent at the Mayo Junior Rally today with three parties with Donegal representation taking gold, silver and bronze at the event. 

Inishowen’s Kyle McDaid took first place in his Honda Civic alongside his teammate Conor Lappin from Cavan in a time of 1:08:08. 

That was closely followed behind by Mark Wilkinson and Ciaran McGinley from Creeslough in a time of 1:09:29:8, while Jordan Jervis and James McBrearty from Mountcharles took bronze clocking a time of 1:10:05:8. 

The weekend marked an exciting journey 'Into the West' as participants gathered for the second event of the 2024 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) calendar.  

The destination was Ballina for the eagerly awaited Mayo Stages Rally, offering the first taste of tarmac competition this year. 

The MIJRS, unique in its offering of both loose and sealed surface challenges across the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship and the Triton Nation Rally Championship, serves as Ireland's exclusive national Dual Surface series aimed at nurturing the country's emerging rally talent. 

Incentives for competitors were substantial, with prize packages exceeding €70,000 facilitated through Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy supports. 

The Mayo event attracted a significant turnout following the exhilarating season opener at the recent Killarney Forest Rally. Record participation was noted, especially in the J1000 category, with twenty entrants vying for top honours.