Niall McGonigle and Caolan McKenna opened the 2026 Northern Ireland forest season with victory on the Samsonas Fivemiletown Rally, reclaiming an event McGonigle had previously won in 2024. Their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 finished 19.3 seconds clear after a wet and slippery day across ten gravel tests near Fivemiletown.
Omagh Motor Club's 28 February event was the first counting round of the 2026 Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge. Only 43 cars started, a much smaller field than the late-2025 running of the event, but the quality at the front remained high with Rally2 and R5 machinery throughout the leading group.
Donnelly's early lead disappears
Mark Donnelly and Martin Brady were quickest on the opening stage and built an advantage of around four seconds, but their rally changed almost immediately. Donnelly damaged a wheel after sliding off on stage two, ending his challenge at the front and opening the door for McGonigle.
McGonigle and McKenna took control from that point. Derek Mackarel was initially a threat and matched McGonigle's time on stage two, but mechanical trouble ended his rally. Vivian Hamill and Paddy Robinson then moved into second and became the closest sustained challenge.
Wet forests reward consistency
The surface conditions were a major part of the event. Northern Ireland had endured a very wet January and February, leaving the forest roads slippery and difficult to read. On a rally where traction changes rapidly from corner to corner, McGonigle's ability to avoid major mistakes mattered as much as outright speed.
Hamill and Robinson reduced and extended the gap at different points, but McGonigle ultimately finished 19.3 seconds ahead. David Condell and Michael Coady completed the podium in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 after regularly setting times inside the top four.
Shane McGirr leads the two-wheel-drive cars
Shane McGirr was the leading two-wheel-drive finisher in his distinctive Lada Riva, bringing the car home sixth overall. That result was particularly notable given the traction disadvantage faced by two-wheel-drive machinery against the modern four-wheel-drive Rally2 and R5 cars at the head of the field.
There were 36 finishers from the 43 starters. The attrition reflected both the conditions and the character of the stages. Forest events punish mechanical weaknesses and small errors, and the February date added another layer of difficulty.
A useful marker for the season
Fivemiletown set the first benchmark for the 2026 Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge. McGonigle left as the early leader, while Condell's podium would later prove important as he built a championship campaign based on consistent points scoring.
The season then paused before returning in September at the Lakeland Stages, followed by the Bushwhacker and Dogleap. That unusual calendar structure made the Fivemiletown points especially valuable: crews had to carry the result through a long gap before the autumn gravel run began.
How Fivemiletown fits into the wider forest championship
The Fivemiletown result had greater value than a stand-alone February win because the Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge was scheduled over only four counting rounds in 2026. After the Tyrone opener, crews faced a long gap before the Lakeland Stages in September, followed quickly by the Bushwhacker and Dogleap. In a compact championship like that, an early podium can remain important for most of the year.
It also meant competitors had to prepare for two very different phases of the season. Fivemiletown was run in winter conditions, while the final three rounds were concentrated into the autumn. Tyre choice, road conditions and even the amount of daylight can be markedly different, so success across the championship requires more than simply being fast on one weekend.
The machinery at the front
McGonigle's Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 represented the previous R5 generation that remains highly competitive in Irish forest rallying. Condell's Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 was a newer specification of car, while the wider field mixed Rally2 and R5 machinery with powerful two-wheel-drive cars. That variety is part of the appeal of Northern Ireland forest events: a modern four-wheel-drive car may lead overall, but class and two-wheel-drive battles can remain intense further down the order.