Moonraker Forest Rally Preview
Pat O'Connell & Mark Wiley lead bumper Moonraker Forest Rally entry. Pic by Cian Donnellan Photography
Following a two month-break, the 2026 Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship fires back into life this weekend as a bumper entry descends upon Dungarvan for the Moonraker Forest Rally.
With over 120 entries received for the Munster Car Club event, the six stage classic is sure to bring a huge amount of drama and excitement right across Saturday, with the centre piece of the event sure to be two runs over the legendary ‘The Vee’ stage that marks the mid-point of both the morning and afternoon loops.
The huge entry is led away by 2025 winners Pat O’Connell & Mark Wiley, the pair set to debut a newly acquired Ford Fiesta Rally2 on the event. Chasing them down hard though will be our Round 1 winners Mark Donnelly & Martin Brady, the pair brought their VW Polo GTi R5 home to victory on the season-opening Yeats Ridge Forest Rally.
The head of the 4wd field is brimmed full of drivers with event winning experience in a variety of RC2 machines, with Jordan Hone & Paul Hone wasting no time getting right on the pace in their Skoda Fabia R5 Evo, Garteh Mimnagh & J Barry McCarney in a similar Fiesta to Pat O’Connell, Josh Moffett & Andy Hayes in the Hyundai i20 R5 and Niall McCullagh & Conor Mohan in another Polo.
The 2WD field is just as impressive, with Yeats Ridge victors Paddy McToal & Connor O’Loan leading the field in their Ford Escort MK2, with another Escort of defending 2WD Champions Hugh McQuaid & Declan Casey seeded at number three.
Splitting the pair are 2025 Billy Coleman Award winner Kyle McBride who has Liam Callaghan alongside in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, but there is a huge battle instore in that class as well as for the 2WD honours with Junior British Rally Championship leaders Ben McFall & Damian McAuley in a Ford Fiesta Rally4, Jack Harris & Aaron O’Regan in a similar machine and Jack Byrne & Dylan Harrington in a Peugeot.
The J1000 field is by the Wray twins, with Round 1 winner James joined by Peter Ward with number one on the door, with Joe McNulty guiding brother Matthew in an identical VW UP! Jack McDermott & Paddy Robinson are desperate to claim their first victory in the class having become regular podium finishers, but the same can be said for others like Adam Ronan and James Spillane who will all be aiming to get themselves into contention.
The action kicks off early on Saturday morning with the first of the J1000 crews leaving the Dungarvan based Service Park at 09:30, with the trio of Coolatoor, The Vee and Scart Mountain stages to be tackled twice with a mid-day service halt.
As announced recently, the Irish Forest Rally Championship are thrilled to announce Trailer Parts & Spares as Title Sponsors for the series, beginning immediately, with an incredible commitment of a three-year partnership agreed between both parties made on the back of the success the series has had in recent years attracting larger entries, introducing new events and growing the next generation of Irish Rally talent.
Rebranding the series as the Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship through to the end of 2028, it’s an incredible opportunity for the Tyrone based firm to boost their brand awareness right across the island of Ireland, but it’s also a huge boost to the Forest Championship.
The Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship caters for competitors from 14 years of age who are starting their career in the Junior 1000 classes, but such is the variety within the series that class winners in recent years have ranged in age right up to those knocking on the door of 80, and everywhere in between. With no recce, centralised servicing and compact routes, the series and its events cater for everyone in an incredibly competitor friendly manner.
Want to keep up to date with the Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship? Check out the Championship Website at www.IRLForestRally.com, the online Sportity Noticeboard at IrishForestChamp, or check out the Championship on Facebook & Instagram.
