Carryduff driver Jonny champion

Carryduff driver Jonny champion

8 November 2017

CARRYDUFF’S Jonny Greer is right in the fast lane after winning the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

Greer and co-driver Kirsty Riddick secure the prestigious title with a second place finish at the Sunset Stages Rally at Nutts Corner on Saturday.

Victory was particularly sweet for Greer given that his nearest challenger was seven-times champion Derek McGarrity.

Saturday’s event was the tenth and final round of the championship. In pouring rain Greer didn’t go for broke in his Citroen DS3 R5, leaving McGarrity to take the honours in his Skoda Fabia R5.

In the end second place was good enough for Greer who took the championship by a single point.

The new champion said afterwards: “On the start-line the rain came pelting down and the track was like a bottle. We knew the championship was the important thing and we just chilled out a bit and got round.”

It’s been a memorable year for Jonny, who went into the championship not believing he had a chance to win it.

“We didn’t anticipate that we would ever be in this position at the start of the year,” he continued.

“We didn’t initially set out to do the championship, but when we won the first round, we sort of carried on. I think that actually makes it feel more special for me;

“As we went through the year the more interesting and enjoyable the whole thing became. It’s the first time I have contested the whole 

series, and some events I hadn’t done before.

“I had often heard my dad talking about some of the stages on these rallies, and we have been competing on the famous stages in England and Wales for so many years so I wasn’t sure how they would compare.

“However when I actually drove some of the stages at home I understood why they had been talking about them for so long.

“With the mixture of surfaces in the series, a good atmosphere and the events on offer virtually on our door-step I actually feel that this is one of the better championships out there to contest

“I have really enjoyed the race with Derek and the camaraderie was good. He is the first person to congratulate you if you have done well on a rally, and I’m sure he will come out fighting again next year.”