Callum Devine defeated a gaggle of big names to win the famed Donegal Rally for the third year in a row
Photography by Conor Edwards & D Harigan Images
Words by Luke Barry
Up against increased competition from all over the world, Irish regular Callum Devine withstood the pressure from all quarters to record a third successive Donegal International Rally win.
The Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 pilot, co-driven by Noel O’Sullivan, was victorious by 20.5 seconds over the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 of Meirion Evans / Ger Conway, while M-Sport’s Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne retired from third place on the final stage.
Armstrong’s demise allowed David Kelly to take the final podium place in his Volkswagen after a big battle with two-time Tarmac champion Josh Moffett – the top three remarkably exactly the same as 12 months ago.
Hayden Paddon was as high as second after the first day alongside co-driver David Moynihan, but his maiden trip to Ireland ended in a soft roll on Saturday afternoon and the second pass of the famed Knockalla test.
Paddon was competitive on his maiden Irish outing, but didn't make the finish
The two-time European Rally champion was the headline entrant after a last-minute call to stand-in for Matt Edwards, but ERC podium finisher Armstrong and British Rally Championship duo Evans and William Creighton also brought a different edge to Ireland’s biggest event this year.
Devine upheld local honor in the wake of Edwards’ and Keith Cronin’s decisions to take a step back from rallying for the time being, and although the battle was fierce throughout the weekend, 2023 Irish Tarmac champion Devine led for all but one of Donegal’s 20 stages.
Incredibly, Devine and Armstrong shared the lead after the opener before Armstrong nicked ahead by just 0.9s after the second. But a rear diff problem aboard his Ford Fiesta Rally2 robbed Armstrong of half a minute and left him on a comeback mission.
Devine meanwhile steadily opened up an advantage while others found their feet. Armstrong, in turn, set the timing screens alight to end the opening day 20.7s off the lead, with Paddon, Evans and Creighton separated by just three seconds in second, third and fourth.
Outlining what may have been possible, Armstrong again blitzed the rest on Saturday morning’s first test to immediately seize second, and open up conversation of the win being firmly on on his first visit to Donegal. But yet more mechanical drama crushed those dreams and in the end a spirited drive went unrewarded as he broke his suspension on the very last stage of the rally.
Amstrong's Donegal was a tale of what might have been
Struggling to find the optimum setup for the bumpy Irish lanes in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Paddon was vulnerable to 2023 Junior WRC champion Creighton, who was starting to really find form in his Toyota.
Closing to just 4.9s off rally leader Devine – who wasn’t enjoying the best of Saturdays with an overshoot and handbrake problem – Creighton was the man in the ascendency. But a slow puncture on the day’s final stage sent him wide and off the road. Although he managed to complete the stage, the decision was made to retire the car rather than restart on Sunday.
Paddon wouldn’t be out for the final day either. Caught out under braking, the New Zealander ran off the road and into a soft roll on SS11 – giving up third place in the process.
That left Devine 21.8s clear at the head of the field, with former Irish Tarmac regular Evans his closest pursuer overnight.
But a big time to open Sunday, 8.3s faster than his rival, eased the pressure for Devine who then had a lead he could manage to the end of the day. Evans kept up the pressure, but Devine kept his head.
Evans had to settle for second
His eventual victory outlined his class and composure, as he became the first driver since the late Manus Kelly to win Donegal three times on the trot.
“To be honest I was quite happy with my driving all weekend,” said Devine.
“Once I got into a lead I fell back into management [mode], but everything was top class. It just shows you the Tarmac Championship is pretty fast.”
Second-placed Evans described the weekend “as the best racing I’ve ever had”.
Devine now has three Donegal wins and four at Killarney's Rally of the Lakes
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Callum Devine, Donegal, Donegal International Rally 2025, Hayden Paddon, Jon Armstrong, Meirion Evans, William Creighton
Publish Date June 22, 2025 DirtFish
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