Ireland’s World Rally Championship contenders Craig Breen and Paul Nagle equalled their previous best result at the weekend when they brought their works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC home in runner up position in Rally Estonia, the first WRC event for six months thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Waterford-Killarney pair ended Saturday’s stages just 11.7seconds behind Hyundai team leader and defending World Rally champion Ott Tanak, with six times title holder Sebastien Ogier‘s Toyota Yaris another 17 seconds behind the Irish crew in third place.
Sunday’s final six stages on his home ground saw Tanak increase his lead to 22 seconds at the finish, with Breen and Nagle holding off the challenge of Ogier, setting best times overall on two of the seventeen stages.
A delighted Breen said: “What an incredible weekend! I took it easy in the Power Stage, to make sure we made it through safely. I probably didn’t mean to take it that easy, but this is a great result. From the opening kilometres of the rally, everything just clicked. The car has done absolutely everything I’ve asked of it and has given me the confidence I needed. The man beside me, Paul, has done a fantastic job and I’d like to thank everyone who has made this possible. I feel like I’m starting my career all over again; I’ve certainly not forgotten how to do it and I want to do it even more!”
At home, Dubliners dominated the Co Cavan MC Multi-Venue Autotest at Latton, with John Nolan a clear 23 seconds ahead of Mick Kehoe after eighteen tests, followed by Brian Kingston and Piers MacFheorais.
Below are results for Motorsport Ireland competitions that took place on 5/6 September 2020.
CO CAVAN M C MULTI VENUE AUTOTEST AT HUTT CROSS, LATTON, CO MONAGHAN:
1 John Nolan (Starlet) 13m 23s,
2 Mick Kehoe (Peugeot 206) 13m 46s,
3 Brian Kingston (Ignis) 13m 59s,
4 Piers MacFheorais (Toyota MR2) 14m 04s,
5 Chris Patterson (VW Buggy) 14m 12s,
6 James Mansfield (Mini) 14m 28s,
7 Stefan Walsh (Starlet) 14m 29s,
8 Declan Tynan (Starlet) 14m 41s,
9 Kieran McCarra (Starlet) 14m 41s,
10 Patricia Denning (Starlet) 14m 57s.
Class winners: Shane Maguire (Colt), Mick Kehoe, Piers MacFheorais.