Warrenpoint’s Peader Hurson and co-driver, Damien Connolly secured a comfortable win on Sunday's Galway Summer Stages Rally, round 7 of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Hurson grabbed his chance and hit the front on stage one after pre-event favourite and last year’s winner, Declan Boyle, slid his Ford Fiesta World Rally Car off the road on the opening test forcing him to retire. By first service at Athenry Mart, Subaru driver Hurson had amassed an impressive lead of 32.5 seconds over fellow Subaru driver, Niall Maguire.

Maguire, a multiple national rally champion, had no answer to Hurson however as the Warrenpoint driver set about extending his lead over the remaining six stages. At the finish ramp, a delighted Hurson and Connolly were crowned the winners with a commanding margin of 1 minute and 9 seconds.

Just behind Hurson and Maguire, Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore produced another sensational drive to take third overall in their 2 wheel drive Toyota Starlet a mere .9 of a second. Gallagher and Moore were fastest overall on stage five and finished up 26 seconds ahead of their nearest two-wheel drive rival, Ed O'Callaghan, who took sixth position. Alan Ring and Roy White rounded out the top five with White taking maximum bonus points after being fastest on the final stage of the day, the Power Stage.

Tommy Flaherty and Patrick Curley in their trusty Mark 2 Escort won the Best Galway Motor Club Crew for the Ger Conroy Cup with a steady drive to finish 1 minute and 5 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals Paul Curley and Jason Ollernshaw.

Donegal driver Trevor Bustard brought his Misubishi Lancer home in eighteenth overall and won the Group N class. In the junior category, Cormac Phelan and Katja Auhl earned a hard fought victory in their Citroen C2, keeping the Honda mounted Gary McNamee and John McCabe at bay by just 3.2 seconds. Niall and Conor Keane took the historic honours in their Talbot Sunbeam.