Harris and McShane dominate MIJRS classes in Carlow

Impressive Harris doubles Class 2 victory tally in Carlow

Jack Harris and Aaron O'Regan grabbed their second Class 2 victory of the 2026 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) with a flawless performance on a wet and wild Carlow Stages Rally.

The Ford Fiesta Rally4 crew claimed five fastest stage times to secure a 39.2-second win over Oran England and Darragh Mullen after early leader Ben McFall slid out on stage three.

County Antrim’s McFall was the quickest out of the blocks with a 0.7-second stage one win over Robert Cronin. The margins were fine, though, with England and Jack Byrne tied on time in third and Harris just behind.

Harris went 0.3 seconds quicker than McFall on stage two to jump into second, setting up what looked to be an intriguing battle for the lead. Unfortunately, round one winner McFall's rally came to an early end on the slippery stage three, handing the lead to Harris.

Frontrunner Cronin retired from third on the same stage, leaving Harris, England, and Byrne fighting for class honours.

The rain arrived in the Leinster countryside on stage four, and England quickly put the pressure on Donegal’s Harris. A 3.3-second stage win on Flagmount put him within 2.3 seconds of Harris.

A brace of fastest times put Harris back in control but another impressive run over Flagmount, 8.9 seconds quicker than his rivals, brought England back within three seconds of the rally lead.

A collision between England’s Peugeot 208 Rally4 and a bank on Carlow’s penultimate test proved decisive, costing him over 30 seconds and handing a comfortable cushion to Harris who excelled with two fastest times on the final two stages.

Harris’s victory propels him up to second in the MIJRS standings, nine points behind England.

"Great day back on the tar, with a first in class," Harris said. "We took the lead on stage three and never looked back in the tricky conditions. Going into stage seven, we had slicks on the Fiesta, but thankfully, we had two spare wets, which we put on before the stage as a downpour of rain arrived.

"Thankfully, we managed our lead well over the last three stages."

Jack Byrne and Eurig Davies completed the podium, holding off Danny Brady to secure third. Byrne was less than a second behind England after the tightly fought opening loop but focused on staying out of trouble when conditions worsened in the afternoon. A string of top three times meant he was never far from the lead duo and finished the event less than ten seconds behind England’s similar 208.

After a steady start, a pair of second-fastest times put Ross Ryan within 1.1 seconds of fourth-placed Brady heading into stage six. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old joined the list of drivers to be caught out on the slippery Kellymount test. His Fiesta overshot a corner and got stuck in a ditch for nine minutes, ruining his hopes of a podium finish.

Carlow Stages Rally MIJRS Class 2 top five:

1 Harris/O'Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally4)

2 England/Mullen (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +39.2

3 Byrne/Davies (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +48.9

4 Brady/O'Brien (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +1:36.9

5 Ryan/Deane (Ford Fiesta Rally4) +11:11.8

MIJRS Class 2 standings after round 4/8:

1 England - 70

2 Harris - 61

3 McFall - 58

= Ryan - 58

= Byrne - 58

McShane claims Carlow victory after eventful Class 2A battle

Oisin McShane and Niall Myers grabbed a 21.5-second Class 2A victory on the Carlow Stages Rally after controlling the event from the opening stage.

The Peugeot 208 R2 pilot took an early 2.1-second lead over Tommy Furlong on stage one before extending his advantage to 4.3 seconds with another stage win on stage two.

James McShea had climbed up to third with the third-fastest time on stage two and was building momentum. He was only 0.7 seconds off McShane's pace on stage three to move into second, but McShane had built a commanding 32.1-second lead going into the midday service halt.

McShea fought back with three fastest times through the afternoon, but McShane had the rally firmly under control.

"Really happy with the result in Carlow," McShane said. "Our day started with a steady but strong performance on the opening stage, which set us up for the remainder of the event. The second loop was all about managing a wet compound tyre on drying conditions, which I feel we did well.

"The last loop was about managing the lead, and after a steady run on the seventh stage, losing a bit of time, we went back to what we did all day and won the last two stages to take the victory.

“Thanks so much to everyone who helped me through the day, Niall for the superb job on the notes once again, thanks to McConnell Motorsport for keeping the car right in service all day and to anyone helping me financially."

McShea's strong recovery through the second and third loops secured a runner-up spot that puts him firmly in championship contention.

The Class 2A rookie made a cautious start on what was only his second closed-road event. He ceded significant time to the confident McShane but crucially fought back from fifth to second spot. Three stage wins as he gained experience on wet tyres indicates the potential of the 16-year-old.

David Travers showed incredible determination to finish third despite his shoulder popping out during one of the stages. The Ford Fiesta R2T pilot's gritty performance keeps him at the top of the championship standings.

The low-grip rally had several retirements, including Ryan Caldwell, who dropped out on the rally’s opening junction. Furlong had been second before a collision with a chicane on stage three cracked his Fiesta's intercooler, while Kyle Drury retired from fourth after his Peugeot 208 R2 lost oil pressure on the way back to service after stage three.

Carlow Stages Rally MIJRS Class 2A top five:

1 McShane/Myers (Peugeot 208 R2)

2 McShea/Duggan (Peugeot 208 R2) +21.5

3 Travers/Martyn (Ford Fiesta R2T) +1:38.2

4 Dineen/Duggan (Ford Fiesta R2) +6:19.9

5 Furlong/O'Sullivan (Ford Fiesta R2) +26:20.6

MIJRS Class 2A standings after round 4/8:

1 Travers - 69

2 McShea - 58

3 Furlong - 57

4 McShane - 55

5 Caldwell - 49

Future events:

Round five of the MIJRS Class 2 and Class 2A championships takes place at the Cork Forest Rally on 9 August.