Callum Devine hoping to close gap at Ulster Rally

Callum Devine, the reigning Irish Tarmac Rally champion, will be keen to kick on in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 at this Saturday's Modern Tyres Ulster Rally following a winning debut in the last round in Donegal.

The event is the penultimate round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (ITRC) with just the Cork 20 to come next month.

Devine is third in the series, ten points behind the Fiesta of Keith Cronin and some 8.5 points adrift of UK driver Matt Edwards in his Ford Fiesta.

Devine caught fellow competitors off guard a little in June when he crossed the start ramp of the Donegal International Rally in the Czech-built car following a brief test.

The decision to switch over from his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to the Fabia was rewarded with back-to-back Donegal successes – an outcome that bolstered the defence of his Tarmac title, and reduced the deficit to his rivals

Asked if he believes there is more to come from him and the Fabia in a few days’ time, Devine said: "I hope so. I do feel, having done a rally in the car, that it will help me.

"In Donegal it was a case of trying different things throughout the rally, particularly with the set-up – there was a bit of learning – but now we’ve something to work on, hopefully we can start a bit stronger."

Unlike Cronin and Edwards, 30-year-old Devine – a former Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award recipient for young rally driver of the year, has never visited the top step of the podium at the Northern Ireland Motor Club event

"It will be great if we could get a win on the Ulster Rally this time around. We have managed a third and a second on our last two visits, so hopefully we can go one better," said Devine.

"It will leave us in an advantageous position heading towards the final round