11 MI Rally Academy members prepare for Donegal International Rally

Three full days, 20 epic stages, and 274 kilometres of competitive action. The Donegal International Rally is here, and 11 hopeful Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members are set to give it their best.

Fresh from their European Rally Championship podium on Rally Poland, Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne will debut M-Sport’s 160th Ford Fiesta Rally2 on the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship event.

Armstrong will follow top seed Callum Devine down Donegal’s opening Malin Head test as he makes his first-ever start on Ireland’s iconic rally. The two-time Junior WRC runner-up will lean on local co-driver Byrne for some Donegal experience - Byrne has competed on the three-day event four times in a Honda Civic and a Citroen C3 Rally2.

The M-Sport duo have displayed fantastic speed in the ERC so far this year, posting fastest times on each rally, and showed their abilities against Irish Tarmac opposition on March’s West Cork Rally. Armstrong and Byrne will be hoping to reproduce their asphalt form from West Cork, where they scored 12 stage wins from 16, three months ago.

“I am really excited to compete on the Donegal International Rally for the first time,” said Armstrong. “It feels strange that I haven't competed there before, but I am very grateful to get the chance this year.

“It is a three-day event, a long rally, but I am looking forward to the challenge. Rallying at home is special, we discovered that in West Cork, and we will soak up the atmosphere again in Donegal.

“It is cool to be going in a works M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, it is something to be proud of.”

British Rally Championship contender William Creighton will join Armstrong in the academy’s challenge for Donegal honours. Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan bring their Toyota Yaris Rally2, wearing number four on its doorcard.

The 2023 Junior WRC champions are returning to action after a two-month break in their schedule, although their 2025 record is a healthy one thanks to an East Riding Stages win and a Kielder Carlisle Stages runner-up finish to their names.

Creighton competed on the Donegal International Rally twice in his Peugeot 208 R2 days. He also stepped in as Regan’s co-driver on last year’s event as the duo tackled the famous stages in a classic Skoda Estelle.

“It is hard not to be excited about going to Donegal this weekend,” Creighton remarked. “I have travelled there many times when my Dad was competing, I know how special the buzz is surrounding the whole event.

“A lot has changed since I last competed there in the Peugeot 208 R2, so it will be nice going back, having developed so much since then.

“Donegal is effectively a WRC event in length, and there will be a high level of competition between Irish Tarmac regulars and ERC drivers like Hayden Paddon and Jon Armstrong. I am looking forward to the challenge of competing against these guys on famous high-speed stages that also have quite a bit of narrow, bumpy sections.

“We have only done 50 miles of asphalt rallying in the Yaris, and that was back in February, so it will be great for us to get three days of top-quality rallying under our belts ahead of our next batch of rallies in the British Rally Championship. Thanks to everyone who has made the opportunity to compete in Donegal possible; we will be giving our best to get a good result for them.”

The academy’s final Rally2 crew taking on Donegal will be local hopefuls Ryan MacHugh and Declan Boyle. MacHugh and Boyle have two 12th-place finishes to their names since stepping up to a Ford Fiesta Rally2 for Killarney’s Rally of the Lakes.

MacHugh had a successful warm-up on May’s Cavan Stages Rally, building his pace through the day as he geared up for Donegal’s highly anticipated blockbuster.

Two all-academy crews will go head-to-head on their home stages in Donegal’s Rally4 category.

"I am really looking forward to the weekend," said local driver MacHugh. "It will be my biggest event to date in the new car.

"We have two days of recce done with one to do - it will be great to get back familiar stages.

"We'll aim to make a solid start and continue to build our pace against Rally2 opposition throughout the three days."

Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen have showcased searing speed on asphalt events so far this year. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 crew has claimed victories on the East Riding Stages, West Cork Rally, and Jim Clark Rally; they would love to add the Donegal International Rally to that list.

Donegal is also important for McBride’s Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup hopes. Issues in Kielder and Killarney leave him with 14 points to regain on his rivals as he looks to repeat his round one dominance in West Cork.

“Donegal is the biggest rally of the year for me,” said McBride. “It is my home rally, one I always dreamed of competing on, so I feel really fortunate to go back for a second year in a row in the Peugeot 208 Rally4. Thanks to everyone who has made it possible.

“The stages are really unique and challenging, we enjoyed our recce seeing all the different characteristics each stage has.

“It is going to be a challenging weekend, and I can’t wait to get the Rally4 battle going again. Hopefully, we can get some solid points on the board for our Stellantis Cup campaign.”

“Donegal - it’s the big one, isn’t it?!” Mullen noted. “Like every event, I’m looking forward to it, but Donegal is just different. The stages are fantastic, with classics like Atlantic Drive and Knockalla. Friday’s stages around Malin Head are just something else to be able to rally on.

“Kyle and I had a great recce and are eager to get on the stages to repeat our result from last year, if not go one better.”

Another Donegal-based crew in Jack Harris and Aaron O’Regan will be aiming for Rally4 glory this weekend. 20-year-old Harris has starred in his maiden season behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta Rally4 with recent rapid drives on gravel rallies. Their last asphalt event ended in success, picking up class honours on the Circuit of Kerry.

“We are looking forward now to our home event, the big one,” said Harris. “This will be our third tarmac event in a Rally4 car.

“As Donegal doesn’t fall as a championship round for us, it will be good to focus on seat time in the car for MIJRS tarmac rounds later in the year. It will also be good to compare our pace against some of the international regulars.”

Killian McArdle has had a busy week, switching focus from ERC’s Rally Poland to his latest Rally4 event alongside Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup contender Joseph Kelly. McArdle will renew his rivalry with academy team-mates McBride and Mullen as they take on Donegal’s three days of action.

“It has been great to experience rallying in the European Rally Championship with Casey Jay Coleman,” McArdle reflected. “It is great to learn the level of preparation needed on the co-drivers' side for these events.

“Rally Poland was a highlight, competing on high-speed gravel roads, which is something we are unfamiliar with in Ireland. It was great to experience that style of road.

“Donegal is always the rally you look forward to every year. I have had a great year so far alongside Joe Kelly with top points in Killarney for the Stellantis Cup, it would be great to repeat that this weekend.”