Kris Meeke has dominated proceedings as the first day of the 2026 Donegal International Rally comes to a close.
The five-time WRC winner and former Intercontinental Rally Championship champion was on form right from the very start as a damp morning gave way to a glorious sunny afternoon of rallying in the hills.
He notched wins on Stages 1, 2, 5 and 6, and also posted the joint-fastest time on Stage 4 in his Toyota Yaris R2.
Meeke will carry an 11.8 second lead into the weekend, as the rallying veteran looks to add a Donegal win to his long list of career achievements.
The only man who has come close to matching Meeke is the three-time defending Donegal Rally champion Callum Devine.
Callum Devine taking on the 2024 Donegal International Rally. Image Credit: D Harrigan/Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
Devine notched a stage win on Stage 2, and posted an identical time to Meeke on Stage 4, but will have some work to do over the weekend to overcome the strongest challenger to his four-in-a-row push.
M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean finished the day in a comfortable third place, with a relatively large gap both ahead and behind of the current WRC driver.
McErlean battled handling issues towards the end of the day’s first loop, but notched decent times through Stages 4-6 with a consistent but slightly slower hard compound tyre fitted to his Fiesta.
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The Ford factory contender lies 23.4 seconds off the lead but still has a great shot at the win if Saturday and Sunday go his way.
Josh Moffett and Philip Allen lead the chasing pack in joint-fourth place, both drivers behind the wheel of a Toyota Yaris R2.
They sit 45.7 seconds adrift of the lead, with Skoda driver Eddie Doherty in sixth a further 6.8 seconds behind the pair.
Cathan McCourt sits seventh, with fellow Skoda drivers David Kelly and Michael Boyle right behind him.
Toyota driver Meirion Evans rounds out the top 10, 1m 15s off the top after a difficult day for the 2025 Donegal Rally podium finisher.
In the Modified division, four drivers are in serious contention following the end of the rally’s first day.
The Toyota Starlet of Aaron McIntyre led the way throughout most of today’s running, but he holds a slender 6.7 second advantage over second-placed Robert Duggan in his Ford Escort.
Christopher O’Callaghan, also piloting a Ford Escort, is also well in the mix in the modified standings, 9.1 seconds back from leader McIntyre.
There was heartbreak for Mark Alcorn in the sixth and final stage of the day, as he dropped out of Modified contention with smoke pouring from his Ford.
Tomorrow’s action gets underway bright and early on the iconic Knockalla stage at 10am, with drivers also taking on the challenging Drumhallagh, Trentagh and Gartan stages on a gruelling 103km day of running.
Donegal Daily will have all of the latest rally updates right here as the weekend continues.