The sixth and penultimate round of the Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy took place over the weekend at the ToddsLeap.com Ulster International Rally, based in the city of Antrim.  The event gave crews over 80 miles of excellent Northern Ireland stages and included a number of these ran in darkness on the Friday night.  With the added bonus of the Irish Fiesta championship also competing at the event it meant some extra registrations to the UK series from some of the normal Irish registered competitors.  At the conclusion of the event it was the familiar crew of Craig Breen (18) from Waterford and navigator Gareth Roberts that clinched victory also handing them title glory of the 2009 Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy as well as the title of the 2009 Irish Fiesta SportTrophy championship - a truly great weekend for the young pairing.  The championship win will see Breen given the opportunity to compete in the IRC International Rally Scotland in November in the new Fiesta R2.

The Ulster event consisted of ten stages and began on Friday afternoon.  With FST crews split between the full BRC International event and the BRC Challenge event and with changeable weather conditions the event was set to be an exciting one.  SS1, was Tardree, new entrants to the series Shane Buckley and navigator Thomas Maguire would set an imposing warning to the other crews by taking fastest stage time stopping the clocks at 6.06.0, second quickest was Matt Edwards (24) from Cockermouth and navigator Rob Fagg, however this time from Edwards would hide the drama he had faced in the stage.  On a series of bumps the car got out of shape and the rear collided with a tree sustaining substantial damage.  Although Edwards got to the end of the stage and lost minimal time it was questionable as to whether his car would make it back to service.  Third quickest was Robbie Barrable (21) from Dublin and navigator Dermot O'Gorman only 4.1 seconds slower than Edwards.  Away from the front of the field FST UK regular Stevie Brown had a disastrous start sliding wide on a corner and hitting a log in the bank damaging the suspension and ending his rally for the day although he would return on day two with the help of SuperRally regulations.

SS2 was Glendun, Kris Hall (19) from Appleby and navigator Robbie Durant came to the event knowing they had to finish in front of Breen to make sure that the championship title was still open at the end of the event and on this stage they set a blistering time of 8:11.2, 9.5s quicker than Breen.  Third quickest was Barrable.  The time of Hall put him into the lead of the event with Breen also leapfrogging into second and Barrable climbing in front of Buckley to third.  Edwards made it to the start of the stage but on the first corner of the stage the sustained damage from SS1 was too much and the rear wheel came off the car forcing the talented Welshman into retirement and also putting his championship title hopes to rest.

SS3 was Torr Head, renowned as one of the most spectacular stages of the event.  Breen put some pressure back on Hall taking the stage victory by a minimal 1.2s, Wright took third quickest time.  Kyle Orr (19) from Dromore and new navigator Dai Roberts had a steady start to the event and were setting respectable times but on the way back to service from the end of the stage their gearbox failed, and although the crew made it to service Orr was unfortunately forced to retire from his home event.

After service the second half of the day was a repeat of the morning loop of stages.  SS4 saw Buckley again take fastest time from Hall and then Breen.  Harry Hunt (20) from London and navigator Kris Killip were fourth quickest whilst making their own pace notes for the first time and stage performances like this were showing that the newbie to the series this year is well on his way to starting to challenge the front runners in the series.  With only 4.6s covering the top four times here it was again showing just how close the FST series is.

With darkness now setting in SS5 saw Breen take the stage win 0.8s quicker than Hall.  Third quickest was Mark Donnelly (17) from Omagh and navigator Paddy Robinson, Donnelly was struggling to find a rhythm in the event but would hope that this time would be the start of his comeback towards the top of the standings in the event.  Wright reported having a big scare during the stage leaving him with a front puncture and bent steering.

The final stage of the evening and Leg one was the re-run of Torr Head.  Breen again took the victory by an incredibly slender 0.8s, doing all he could to ensure he beat Hall, which would be enough for him to take the championship title.  Third quickest on the stage was another newcomer to the UK series Desi Henry (19) from Port Glenone and navigator John Rowan.  Henry was making a good debut in the UK series on his home event.  The stage though would see the unfortunate retirement of Hunt, who hit a bank on a deceiving left hand bend.  Although the damage was repairable both of the crew did not feel fit enough to SuperRally and begin the second leg so here ended their event.  Jamie Brown (17) from Foulsham and navigator Craig Burgess would also hit drama on the test rolling their car off the road, but after an excellent effort from their service crew they would repair the car overnight and start the second leg of the event.  Despite Breen's stage wins on the last two tests going into the overnight stop Hall would lead the standings from Breen by 15.9s and set up Day 2 for an interesting battle for the decision of whether the championship could be decided or not.  Third overall was also shaping up to be a great battle with Barrable leading Buckley by a miniscule 0.9s.

Day two of the event consisted of four stages before the conclusion of the FST event.  The first stage of the day, SS7, Cairncastle would see the possible title fight fizzle out with the retirement of event leader Hall.   A sheared front hub from the start line of the stage meant a huge disappointment for the talented driver.  It now also meant Breen only had to finish the event to score championship victory.  Barrable took the stage win, with Breen in second and Buckley in third.  The stage would also see the demise of Barry Greer (21) from Belfast and navigator John Lemon.  Greer was having a good event until the car mysteriously lost power and failed to restart - an unfortunate event for the local driver.

SS8, Slemish saw Buckley take the victory.  Wright was second quickest and Breen third fastest after having slightly backed off after knowing he only had to complete the event.

The penultimate stage SS9, saw Barrable take the win from Buckley with Breen third fastest and Wright fourth quickest.  With Breen now comfortably in the lead of the event the main battle going into the last stage of the event was for second with Barrable only 4.2s ahead of Buckley and Wright still in touch, 14.6s further adrift.

Away from the leaders four other crews were still fighting for positions.  Liam Regan (20) from Belfast and navigator Billy McCullins were having a steady run and finished the event fifth overall.  Neil Coalter (26) and navigator Hannah Cessford were slowly getting back into the rhythm of the FST series after missing the previous two events and finished seventh in the FST as well as sixth and third in the double header BRC Challenge event respectively.  Tom Watson (18) from Glanamman and navigator Ken Bowman were also struggling with the tricky Ulster roads but finished third and fourth in the BRC Challenge events as well as 8^th overall in the FST, taking the final prize money.  Ross Forde (25) from Galway and Gary McElhinney finished 9^th in the FST standings, having struggled to get into a rhythm and after sustaining a puncture earlier in the event and a broken driveshaft on SS9 the pair were just happy to finish the event.

Back at the front of the field the possible last stage battle was unfortunately not to be with the final stage of the event being cancelled for all FST crews, therefore it ended with Breen coming back to service to be victorious in the FST event but more importantly victorious in taking the championship victory with one round to spare - an incredible achievement.

The final round of the series is The International Rally Yorkshire in September.

Championship winner, Craig Breen, said:

"This weekend has been absolutely amazing, it still has not sunk in for me.  To win both the British and Irish FST series is a dream come true.  It was a shame the potential battle with Kris [Hall] and Matt [Edwards] did not come to light but it has been a great season."