James McShea (17) to make USA Rally Debut with support of the Craig Breen Foundation
Donegal teenage Rally star James McShea makes his international debut this weekend, as he travels to the United States of America to compete with the support of the Craig Breen Foundation.
McShea, who has just turned 17, makes the trip to America alongside navigator Liam Callaghan to compete on the Show-Me Rally. Based in Potosi, Missouri, the ten-stage gravel event will see the Letterkenny star tackle 97km of high-speed loose surface action against a strong field of local drivers.
“It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for me, even just getting used to the preparation required to travel to events, learn new stages and compete in a completely new environment. Its’s a challenge I am relishing and really looking forward to it” said James.
For James McShea, this year has been an incredible experience, but the stateside adventure is sure to be a standout. Having secured the Junior 1000 title of the Irish Forest Rally Championship in 2025, McShea made the step up to Class 2A and competed in a Peugeot 208 R2 across the season.
With the support of the Craig Breen Foundation, McShea began his year with two days spent at the legendary John Haugland Winter Rally School in Norway where he honed his driving talent under the guidance of the world-renowned tutor on a frozen lake.
From the frozen snow banks of Norway, McShea’s season saw him claim a season opening victory on the Sligo based Yeats Ridge Forest Rally, while a trio of further wins on tarmac and gravel saw him secure the 2026 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series Class 2A title at the first attempt.
The MIJRS victory has seen McShea nominated for the 2026 Billy Coleman Award, a remarkable opportunity to compete for a Funding & Support package sponsored by Motorsport Ireland & Sports Ireland to recognise the outstanding young rally driver of the year.
The nomination will also see McShea become a part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for 2027, and benefit from a structured approach to driver development in areas such as event preparation, fitness and mental skills that the academy team have developed through its drivers that currently compete at the highest levels of the sport nationally and internationally.
The Billy Coleman Award was won by Craig himself in 2009, and the success of James McShea is testament to the dream he had to support the development of young stars, and the Craig Breen Foundation has continued this legacy through its support of the Junior 1000 series and the talent emerging from what is the ultimate feeder series for up-and-coming drivers.
Fellow Craig Breen Foundation prize fund recipient Oisin McShane, also from Letterkenny, has competed against James all season in Class 2A of the MIJRS series, and they will lock horns once more in the race to win the Billy Coleman Award with Oisin having been nominated for his performances in the second half of 2026.
McShane, like McShea, was supported in making his international Rally debut with the support of the Craig Breen Foundation as he had the opportunity to compete on the Portuguese gravel event Rali da Água in September.
Having brought McShea to Norway in January and assisted financially across a season that also saw him become the youngest driver in the history of the Donegal International Rally in June, the Foundation is delighted to support James as he competes in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 this weekend in America.
Having excelled in R2 level machinery in 2026, McShea is using the Show-Me Rally event as a first taste of the much quicker Rally4 level car as he aims to compete at that level in Ireland & Europe in 2027.
McShea has had a remarkable season claiming the MIJRS Class 2A Title. Pic by Cian Donnellan