Jonny Greer seals sixth Northern Ireland rally title with dominant Rallye Lecale victory
Jonny Greer became a six-time Northern Ireland Rally Champion on 25 July 2026 after winning the inaugural Carryduff Forklift Rallye Lecale by 54.1 seconds. Greer and co-driver Niall Burns drove a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to victory over Sam Moffett and Pierce O’Callaghan in a Hyundai i20 Rally2. The result settled the championship with one round still to contest. The margin suggests a straightforward victory, but the early stages were much less settled than the final classification indicates: Greer only assumed control after his nearest competitors hit serious trouble.
A narrow fight before the retirements
Cathan McCourt was initially the quickest driver in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. He won the opening Bucks Head stage and the first running of Lougherne. At the point where his challenge ended, he led Greer by only one tenth of a second. McCourt crashed on stage four, removing a rival who had been matching and at times beating the eventual champion on pace. Niall McGonigle then took up the pursuit in another Skoda, cutting a strong figure behind the Toyota. His rally also ended in an accident, this time on the last stage when he was roughly 26 seconds behind Greer.
Those incidents are important distinctions. Greer did not beat McCourt by 54 seconds in a straight fight to the chequered flag, because McCourt did not finish. The final winning margin was over Moffett, who inherited the runner-up spot and completed the event. Greer still had to hold his pace, complete the stages and avoid mistakes. At a new closed-road rally, with wet patches among largely dry summer conditions, the ability to finish cleanly while rivals faltered was a decisive sporting strength. His overall advantage came from accumulated stage times, not from winning every individual stage.
Downpatrick's new rally and the final order
The Ballynahinch and District Motor Club ran Rallye Lecale on closed roads around Downpatrick. Eight stages made up the competitive route, using versions of roads familiar from previous Down Rally events. A total of 86 cars started, including 28 Rally2/R5 entries, and 73 reached the finish. That made it a substantial first edition rather than a small invitation event. It was also the fourth round of the 2026 Northern Ireland Rally Championship, which gave Greer the chance to settle the title earlier than expected.
Jason Dickson and Neil Shanks took third in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly finished eleventh overall in a Toyota Starlet and were the highest-placed two-wheel-drive crew. Among former national champions, Stuart Biggerstaff ended the event tenth in a VW Polo GTI R5, Derek McGarrity was thirteenth in another Polo and reigning 2025 champion Aaron McLaughlin retired from stage six with mechanical problems. That mix of former title winners and new machinery explains the depth of the field Greer faced.
The sixth title in perspective
Winning a sixth Northern Ireland championship is different from recording a single fast Saturday. It reflects results across multiple rounds and changing types of road. Greer had already won a tight contest at Loughgall earlier in July, where Moffett pushed him to a 4.1-second margin. Rallye Lecale provided the decisive follow-up. One event demanded restraint in a final-stage duel; the other demanded consistency while leading competitors retired. Both contributed to the title rather than representing interchangeable victories.
