Ireland's Young Rally Driver of the Year, 24 year old Josh Moffett from Monaghan, had a superb start to his European Rally Championship campaign.

Along with his Cavan co-driver James Fulton the Irish pair took their Combilift Ford Fiesta to third place overall in the Azores Rally, held on the tiny Atlantic island.

Moffett and Fulton are contesting the Junior Under-28 Championship, and this was a great start to their season, overcoming very difficult conditions with heavy fog causing poor visibility all through the stages. Fulton said afterwards "it was very difficult, nothing like I have ever experienced before. We just said to ourselves we had to get our heads down, focus and remember it was the same for everyone else and we got through it."

Portuguese ace Bruno Magalhaes was the outright rally winner ahead of last year's European Junior champion Marijan Griebel, with the Irish pair climbing through the field to take the final podium position at the finish.