Danny Brady was crowned inaugural Stellantis Rally Cup Ireland champion after a thrilling showdown with Oran England at the Stonethrowers Rally, where the pair fought an intense battle for both outright victory and the championship crown.
Brady headed into the final round knowing that second place would be enough to secure the title, even if England claimed rally victory. However, with both crews pushing hard for the win, the battle went down to the wire, with England ultimately taking victory by just 0.8 seconds after a dramatic late charge.
Following the cancellation of the opening stage, Brady set the benchmark on the second test, edging 1.3 seconds ahead of England, with Jack Byrne holding third and Jack Kennedy in fourth. John O’Rourke’s progress was hampered by a burst intercooler on his Opel Corsa Rally4, costing the Irishman valuable time as he looked to move up the order.
England responded emphatically on the next stage, overturning Brady’s advantage to take the lead by 6.9 seconds and put himself firmly back in contention for both the rally win and the championship.
The momentum continued to swing between the leading pair, with Brady striking back over the following two stages to establish a double-digit advantage over Byrne, while England slipped to third heading into the final service halt.
But the championship contender was far from beaten. England produced a stunning finish to the rally, winning all three of the final stages to storm back through the field and snatch outright victory by just 0.8 seconds from Brady.
Despite the late charge, England’s efforts were not enough to deny Brady the championship. His second-place finish secured the inaugural Stellantis Rally Cup Ireland crown after a season of closely fought battles and shifting fortunes.
The reward for Brady’s title-winning campaign is an incredible prize drive on Rally Zemplén with the TRT Racing team, alongside a test in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally2; a major opportunity as he looks to take the next step in his rallying career.
England’s Stonethrowers victory ensured he finished runner-up in the final championship standings, just one point behind Brady, highlighting just how close the inaugural season proved to be.
Byrne also capped off a strong campaign with a podium finish at the Stonethrowers Rally, moving into third place in the final standings after another impressive performance against the championship’s leading contenders.
Full Standings Can be found here: https://stellantismotorsportcup.com/standings/
