Roy White from Clonmel and his Cork co-driver James O’Brien won the Triton Showers National Rally Championship courtesy of their second placed championship finish on the Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally in Clonmel.

The event, the sixth round of the series was won by Donegal cousins, Declan Boyle and Brian Boyle (Fiesta WRC), who finished 34.7 seconds in front of the R5 Fiesta on another Ulster duo, Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble.

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and his Antrim co-driver John Rowan (Fiesta R5) were third, a further 16.9 seconds behind.

White/O’Brien came home in fourth place and gaining second placed championship points they won the Vard Memorial Trophy.  White is the third Tipperary driver to win the National Championship following in the footsteps of Donie Keating (1981 and 1991 and the late Frank Meagher (1986).

Fourth overall and third fastest on the Power Stage was enough for White/O’Brien to claim the Triton Showers National Rally Championship and the Vard Memorial Trophy. 

At the finish a delighted White said, “Once the rally started I really didn’t want to know what I had to do to win. I just wanted to get to the finish, no point in adding to the pressure.  In the end I didn’t have to get the twenty-one points that we reckoned was needed prior to the start, nineteen was enough and I’m thrilled.  We have had a great season and one that was very consistent, Tom Gahan prepared a beautiful car for us. It is also a fantastic achievement for James O’Brien to have won all four Irish rally titles as well, he kept us on the straight and narrow all year.  All round, it’s a great team effort and  it is extra special to win it here in my home town of Clonmel.”