Crossmolina man makes rally debut in Qatar
Lorcan Moore finished second overall in the Fivemiletown Rally.
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-driver Lorcan Moore finished in the Qatar International Rally over the weekend in what was his FIA Middle East Rally Championship debut last month.
The Crossmolina native, and his Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, finished fifth in the championship's opening round last weekend in a Skoda Fabia Rally2.
It was Lorcan’s first time competing in a desert rally and he faced many new challenges like high-speed sand-based stages, dust storms and a difficult-to-define route.
The rally was won by Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, his 17th career in the rally and his 83rd in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. The remainder of the top four was made up of drivers and co-drivers with considerable World Rally Championship experience including Mads Østberg; Andreas Mikkelsen and Emil Lindholm. Moore and Al-Kuwari were more than happy to finish fifth in such decorated company.
“It was a very well-run rally but it was something very different too,” said Moore.
“Abdulaziz and I got on really well together and clicked from the word go. The dust was a big challenge but it made you really trust your notes. We were rallying in 25 to 30 degrees heat. Hugh thanks to the Academy. Motorsport Ireland and Abdulaziz for the opportunity and I would love to get back out there if the opportunity comes up.” Moore would also finish second overall in the Fivemiletown Rally. Co-driving for Ballygawley's Vivian Hamill, in a Volkswagen Polo R5 finished just 2.8 seconds from the overall victory.
Sligo co-driver Niall Burns also made his FIA Middle East Rally Championship debut at the event. He and his driver Khalid Al-Suwaidi were running well inside the top six until Burns injured his back after a heavy landing off a jump and the team took the decision to withdraw as a precaution.
