Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes produced one of the standout finishes of the 2026 Northern Ireland rally season when they won the Bushwhacker Rally by just 4.6 seconds after a late charge through the Omagh forests. The Hyundai i20 R5 crew had spent much of the day chasing rather than controlling the rally, but a decisive penultimate-stage attack transformed the order and gave Moffett his second Bushwhacker victory.
The 19 September event was round six of the Irish Forest Rally Championship and the third counting round of the Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge. Omagh Motor Club attracted a deeply competitive Rally2 and R5 field, with Mark Donnelly and Martin Brady, Patrick and Stephen O'Brien, Jordan and Paul Hone, Jonny Greer and Niall Burns, and David Condell and Michael Coady among the leading names.
Donnelly starts fastest
Donnelly and Brady were immediately on the pace in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 and set the fastest time on the opening Slievedoo test. Moffett was 3.3 seconds behind after the first stage, while Jordan Hone sat only another two tenths back. That opening pattern set the tone: the leading cars were separated by margins normally associated with a circuit race rather than a full day in the forests.
Patrick and Stephen O'Brien then moved into contention and led for a long spell. Their experience on the Bushwhacker was obvious, but the rally remained compressed. Moffett chipped away at the deficit on stages two and three, while the Hones produced a particularly strong opening loop and moved within a second of the lead.
Lough Bradan changes the rally
The decisive moment came late in the event. On the altered running of Lough Bradan, Moffett took 6.3 seconds out of Donnelly. The change was enough to put the Hyundai driver into a narrow lead with one stage remaining. Moffett and Donnelly then set equal times on the final Glengawna test, which meant the 4.6-second gap stood to the finish.
Jordan and Paul Hone completed the podium after another front-running performance. David Condell and Michael Coady were also prominent in the Northern Ireland points battle, while Jonny Greer and Niall Burns recovered from issues earlier in the day to finish strongly on their first Bushwhacker in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Two-wheel-drive battle
The rally was not only about the Rally2 field. Paddy McToal and Connor O'Loan were again among the strongest two-wheel-drive crews in their Ford Escort Mk2. They had already demonstrated their pace on the Lakeland Stages and carried that form into Omagh, while Hugh McQuaid and Declan Casey also featured at the sharp end of the rear-wheel-drive contest.
The Bushwhacker's reputation as the 'Omagh Grand Prix' comes from the speed and commitment demanded on its gravel roads. The 2026 running justified that name. With stage wins changing hands and the top crews separated by seconds, the rally became a genuine sprint over an entire day.
Championship impact
Moffett's victory also strengthened his Irish Forest Rally Championship campaign. In the Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge, however, David Condell remained the points leader after the event on 76 points, with Donnelly on 61 heading towards the Dogleap finale. That left the NI title fight unresolved despite Moffett taking the overall rally win.
For PureCar Motorsport, the result is important because it shows the depth of current Northern Ireland forest rallying. The front of the field included modern Rally2 machinery, older but still competitive R5 cars and some of the strongest crews from both sides of the border. The Bushwhacker was not simply another calendar round: it was one of the most closely fought gravel rallies of the 2026 season.