Fogarty crowned MIJRS J1000 champion as crews shine at Laois
Fogarty snatches J1000 title after Kelly's costly off!
Conor Fogarty was crowned MIJRS J1000 champion by two points after championship leader James Kelly's off on stage two of the Laois Forest Rally effectively cost him the title.
Fogarty's fifth-place finish alongside Des Sherlock was enough to overhaul Kelly, who returned under super-rally regulations to claim six points but couldn't hold on to his championship lead and had to settle for runner-up in the series.
Up front, Matthew Wray won all but the final stage to take a dominant 40.2-second victory and with it the Irish Forest Rally Championship J1000 title.
It was also a standout day for the series, with three J1000 champions finishing inside the overall top ten: 2022 champion Jack Brennan was fourth, 2025 champion James McShea ninth and 2024 champion Oisin McShane tenth.
Wray led the 20-strong J1000 contingent in Laois from the start, going an incredible 13.6 seconds faster than anyone else on stage one. Frank Wharton was second, with Oscar McShane, starting only his second rally, in third. James Spillane was fourth and Dean Bonner fifth. The margins behind Wray were tiny, with just 7.2 seconds covering third to ninth place. James Travers lost over six minutes after his Up cut out following one of the hairpins.
Wray remained in control on stage two, but Spillane made the first significant move, jumping from fourth to third with a quicker time than McShane.
Spillane continued to climb on stage three, moving from fourth to second in three stages, while McShane moved back ahead of Wharton into third. Wharton lost over ten seconds and dropped to fifth. Less than five seconds covered second to fifth at the halfway point.
Wharton’s third-fastest time on stage four moved him 0.2 seconds ahead of McShane before the latter edged in front again on stage five. The epic duel ended on Laois’s decider when Wharton’s Up retired with engine trouble.
McShane set the fastest time on the final stage to move within 4.3 seconds of second-placed Spillane with Wray cruising home to claim a stunning J1000 win.
Fogarty's 14 points for fifth place lifted him to 85 points in the final standings, two clear of Kelly on 83. Dean Bonner’s fourth-place finish secured a place in the championship’s top three.
As a result of finishing on the championship podium the trio will all receive support for future rallying efforts: €1000 for Bonner, €1500 for Kelly, and €2500 for Fogarty who will also receive coaching.
Laois Forest Rally MIJRS J1000 top five:
1 Wray (Volkswagen Up) 49:46.2
2 Spillane (Seat Mii) +40.2
3 McShane (Up) +44.5
4 Bonner (Up) +1:00.0
5 Fogarty (Up) +1:57.8
MIJRS J1000 final standings after round 9/9:
1 Fogarty - 85
2 Kelly - 83
3 Bonner - 78
4 Gardiner - 75
5 McDermott - 72
6 Dunnion - 72
McFall tops two-wheel-drive as Class 2 rivals hit trouble.
Ben McFall led the Class 2 runners from the opening stage of the Laois Forest Rally and emerged as the only registered MIJRS crew to reach the finish in Rally4. He took seventh overall and top two-wheel-drive honours, with MIJRS crews locking out the two-wheel-drive podium.
McFall set the early pace, going 5.5 seconds clear of Jack Harris after stage one, with Ross Ryan a further 4.4 seconds back. He steadily extended his advantage through the first two tests as the battle behind him unravelled.
Harris's challenge ended on stage two when his Ford Fiesta Rally4 suffered engine failure after bursting a sump over a jump. Stage three claimed two more contenders. Ryan went off, while Robert Cronin's engine kept cutting out and he went over the stage’s maximum time before retiring.
That left McFall and co-driver Mark McGeehan with a straightforward run through the second half of the rally. They took the MIJRS Class 2 victory, finishing over a minute ahead of the next Class 2 finisher, John Ward.
The win extends McFall’s lead at the top of the MIJRS Class 2 standings to ten points. Dropped scores mean Harris is the only driver able to catch McFall with one round remaining.
MIJRS Class 2 standings after round 7/8:
1 McFall - 100
2 Byrne - 90
3 Ryan - 89
4 England - 89
5 Harris - 83
McShea survives late McShane charge to win Class 2A
James McShea and Liam Callaghan claimed their second successive Class 2A win after holding off Oisin McShane in another close battle between the two former J1000 champions, the pair finishing ninth and tenth overall, and claiming spots on the two-wheel-drive podium.
16-year-old McShea made the fastest start, leading McShane by 5.5 seconds after stage one. Tommy Furlong was third, with Ryan Caldwell fourth and Anthony Dineen fifth.
McShea extended his advantage over McShane to 7.6 seconds on stage two while Caldwell and David Travers both dropped out of contention. Caldwell’s Peugeot 208 R2 picked up damage after a big cut while Travers’ Ford Fiesta burst its sump on the same jump as Harris.
Furlong's challenge ended on stage three, which promoted Dineen into third. McShea's lead over McShane had stretched to 13.1 seconds by then.
McShane took his first stage win of the day on the next test to reduce McShea's lead to 11.5 seconds, and then fired in an epic time on stage five that was faster than the Rally4 cars to cut the gap to just 4.4 seconds with one stage to go.
McShane's hopes of a win ended on the final test when an off-road moment cost him ten seconds, with McShea staying out of trouble to take victory in Laois by 16.9 seconds.
Dineen completed the podium in third.
McShea's win draws him level with Travers on 100 points at the top of the MIJRS Class 2A standings with McShane and Caldwell still in with a chance of title glory.
Laois Forest Rally MIJRS Class 2A top five:
1 McShea (Peugeot 208 R2) 43:34.3
2 McShane (208 R2) +16.9
3 Dineen (Ford Fiesta R2) +4:19.5
4 Caldwell (208 R2) +17:22.6
5 Travers (Fiesta R2T) +26:58.2
MIJRS Class 2A standings after round 7/8:
1 McShea - 100
2 Travers - 100
3 Furlong - 89
4 McShane - 82
5 Caldwell - 81
Future events:
The MIJRS Class 2 and Class 2A championships conclude with the final round in Donegal.