The 50th anniversary Modern Tyres Ulster Rally delivered a memorable weekend of rallying on 7–8 August 2026, as some of Ireland and Europe’s leading crews took on the famous roads of Northern Ireland.
Hugh’s Rallying was delighted to be there for this landmark event, taking in the atmosphere, meeting competitors and following the action across what proved to be an incredibly close Ulster Rally.
With Ballymena at the centre of the celebrations, the 2026 event marked 50 runnings of one of the most historic rallies in Irish motorsport and formed an important round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, while also welcoming the FIA European Historic Rally Championship to Northern Ireland for the first time.
The 2026 route featured six closed-road stages, each tackled twice across the two days:
In total, competitors faced 12 stages and approximately 100 competitive miles, with everything from fast sections to the famously demanding, bumpy Ulster roads providing a major challenge for crews.
The Ballymena Showgrounds provided the hub for the weekend, hosting Rally HQ and the Service Park, while the event celebrations began with an opening ceremony on Thursday evening.
The battle at the front proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend.
Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy, competing in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, set the early pace and dominated Friday’s opening stages. Doherty completed a clean sweep of fastest times on the opening loop and carried a lead of almost seven seconds as the battle developed.
But Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes weren’t finished.
Driving their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Moffett and Hayes steadily reduced the deficit during Saturday’s stages. On Tardree, the gap fell dramatically before Moffett finally moved into the lead on the penultimate Cairncastle 2 stage.
That set up a tense final run through Slemish.
Moffett and Hayes held their nerve to take the 2026 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally victory by just three seconds, securing Moffett’s first-ever Ulster Rally win and another hugely important result in his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship campaign.
🥇 1st – Josh Moffett / Andy Hayes
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
🥈 2nd – Eddie Doherty / Tom Murphy
Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
🥉 3rd – Cathan McCourt / Barry McNulty
Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
4th – Jonny Greer / Niall Burns
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
5th – Sam Touzel
Rounding out the top five after another impressive Ulster Rally performance.
McCourt’s third place came after a particularly close fight with newly crowned Northern Ireland Rally Champion Jonny Greer, with the pair trading third position before McCourt made the place his own over the closing miles.
The golden anniversary was about much more than the battle for overall victory.
For the first time, Northern Ireland hosted a round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship, bringing another fantastic selection of cars and crews to the Ulster stages.
Ireland’s Eamonn Kelly and Rory Kennedy produced a superb performance in their BMW M3 E30, taking the Historic victory ahead of Tomas Davies.
Despite suffering a puncture and briefly losing braking performance on Friday, Kelly and Kennedy established a commanding advantage and continued to build their lead on Saturday.
Alan Ring eventually secured third place after moving ahead of Ray Breen during the closing stages.
There was plenty to follow outside the overall and Historic battles too.
Jason Black, in his spectacular rear-wheel-drive Toyota Starlet, took the Modified honours, while Aaron Reid claimed victory in the Ulster Junior Rally. Jamie McLaughlin was the sole finisher in the Nissan Micra Challenge.
It was brilliant for Hugh’s Rallying to be part of such an important weekend in Irish rallying.
From the atmosphere around Ballymena and the Service Park to the incredible cars and action out on the stages, the 50th Ulster Rally certainly lived up to its billing as a special anniversary event.
A huge congratulations to Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes on a fantastic victory, and to every driver, co-driver, marshal, official, volunteer and member of the organising team who helped make the golden anniversary possible.
Events like this are a reminder of just how much history there is behind rallying in Ireland – and how strong the sport continues to be today.
Hugh’s Rallying would also like to say a massive thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters who make it possible for Hugh to attend rallies like the Ulster Rally and continue bringing rally photos, interviews, videos, news and coverage to motorsport fans.
Your continued support of Hugh and his passion for rallying is hugely appreciated.
📸 Keep an eye on Hugh’s Rallying for more photos and coverage from the 2026 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally.
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