Lampeter driver Meirion Evans' hopes of clinching the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship ended in the cruellest of fashions in the series' Ulster Rally finale.

Evans was in with a shout of claiming the title depending on where his rivals, Callum Devine and Josh Moffett, finished.

Unfortunately, Evans and co-driver Jonathan Jackson's challenge was cut short as they crashed out on Stage 2, ending their rally and their championship bid.

The duo were hoping for a repeat of their Galway International Rally win as they took to the tricky roads of the Ulster Rally, made even harder to navigate following a bout of stormy weather.

And it was these conditions that were partly to blame for their early exit as Evans was caught out on a slippery right-hander on the second stage.

Distracted by misbehaving windscreen wipers, Evans slid his Volkswagen Polo R5 into a gatepost on the Banbridge North test, bringing an early end to their title challenge.

Ultimately it was to be Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan who would go on to clinch their maiden Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title after finishing second at the event.

They recorded their fifth top points-scoring result of the season when they finished 47.7 seconds behind British Rally Championship competitors Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria.

Devine entered the Ulster Rally knowing a fourth-place finish or higher would seal his first-ever Rally2 title.

With Evans out, only defending champions Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes could threaten Devine and O’Sullivan.

But they were unable to make the impact needed in their new Hyundai i20 Rally2, finishing day one in fifth position, 20 seconds behind Devine who would go on to shadow his former European Rally Championship rival, Fourmaux, on Saturday and secure the finish needed.

In the Rally4 class, Llandysul's Ioan Lloyd showed his talent by setting an early benchmark for his rivals, but the washout conditions meant he ultimately ended the rally fifth in class, 35th overall.