The mid Wales team of Meirion Evans and co-driver Jonathan Jackson claimed their second international win at the Galway International Rally.

Evans, who hails from Pumsaint, and Jackson fought back from fourth to claim a superb victory on the final day of what was the opening round of the 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Sunday's stunning performance saw Evans and Jackson leapfrog local boys Josh and Sam Moffett when both brothers made errors on the Black Road, handing the Welsh team victory by 12.7 seconds.

Josh and Andy Hayes would finish second with Sam and Keith Moriarty filling out the podium.

The top six was rounded out by Jonathan Greer and Niall Burns in fourth, Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan fifth, and in sixth place, Patrick and Stephen O'Brien.

Reflecting on the weekend, VW Polo GTI R5 driver Evans said: "I don't know what to say but I think we can be proud of that win.

"As usual, Galway has been a challenge from start to finish. There have been so many guys fighting for the win through the weekend too.

"I knew we were able to give Black Road a good go today so we just focused on giving it our best."

The win is the perfect start to the championship for Evans, who had to settle for second in last year's title race with Josh Moffett after claiming his maiden international victory in the final round of the season.

It wasn't all plain sailing over the weekend as Evans and Jackson found themselves locked in a battle just to get on the podium as they entered Sunday's six stages 20 seconds behind Josh Moffett and Hayes.

But the tides turned on Stage 11, Ballydoogan, when Sam Moffett met the stricken Citroen C3 Rally2 of Cathan McCourt and Liam Moynihan, who had been caught out by shiny tarmac in a right-left sequence of corners.

Sam Moffett lost crucial time navigating McCourt's accident but hoped to receive a notional time. Moffett's time would have been equal to Josh's.

But that wouldn't have been enough to keep Evans at bay, as the Carmarthenshire driver went fastest by 5.5 seconds through the stage.

Evans needed another twist in the tale to reel in an unlikely victory and it came on Galway's most formidable stage where leader Josh Moffett's Hyundai i20 R5 collided with a bale, while brother Sam fell foul to a tightening right-hander, sliding the front of his care into a wall.

It was left to Evans and Jackson to complete the most impressive of comebacks, bringing their Polo R5 home without any mistakes, and he would go on to rack up a hat-trick of fastest times in Stage 13 before holding off the charge of the Moffetts over the final phase of the weekend.