Academy co-driver Darragh Mullen and his Rally4 driver Oran England produced a stormer on the final stage of the Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally to win Class 2 by 0.8 seconds and clinch the Class 2 National Rally Championship title.
The pair led the class at first service after a slippery start to the day, but a timing issue on stage four dropped them to third in class.
14.3 seconds adrift of leader Danny Brady with three stages to go, the Peugeot 208 Rally4 duo had to go for it. Despite picking up two fastest times, they were still 9.4 seconds adrift ahead of Tipperary’s final test. A rapid run through the final Barne Lodge test took over ten seconds out of Brady, enough to claim the Class 2 rally and championship wins.
“We headed to the Stonethrowers with one clear plan: win Class 2, and whatever happened behind us was out of our hands,” said Mullen. “We put together a stormer on the last stage to take the Class 2 win in the National, and with it the Class 2 championship. It has been a year of ups and downs, but there is no better way to finish it than with another class win.”
The all-Academy crew of Jack Kennedy and James Deane finished fourth in class in their 208 Rally4 after setting some encouraging stage times throughout the National event.
“It was a great opportunity to continue getting to grips with the Peugeot 208 Rally4 and build confidence behind the wheel,” said Kennedy. “We made good progress throughout the day and came away with plenty of positives to build on. A huge thank you to my co-driver, James Deane, for his efforts throughout the day, along with all our sponsors and the service crew for their continued support. We’re looking forward to building on this performance at the next event.”
In Class 2A, David Travers and Daniel Seaman’s runner-up finish behind Oisin McShane was enough to seal the Class 2A title and with it a Billy Coleman Award nomination for Travers.
In Portugal, Casey Jay Coleman and Killian McArdle completed Rally Six Cities North of Portugal on their ERC1 debut. After challenging for the ERC3 title this season, the all-Academy crew stepped up to the European Rally Championship’s top tier in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 and gained plenty of experience on world-famous stages. They clipped a tree stump on Saturday morning, damaging the front-right suspension, and with only a remote service available, they were forced to retire for the day. They restarted on Sunday with improved confidence and speed, completing the legendary Fafe stage.
“It was a real learning weekend for us in Portugal; my first time on gravel in the Skoda Rally2 being a round of the European Championship meant we were straight into the deep end,” said Coleman. “We got to drive the legendary Fafe stage, a bucket list experience. Overall it was a good weekend with lots learned, so onwards and upwards.”
Over in Wales, recently crowned MIJRS Rally4 champion Ben McFall saw his Junior BRC challenge slip away on the final stage of the Cambrian Rally. A puncture on stage two left him 9.9 seconds behind, but he fought back to hold a 14.7-second lead going into the last stage. Unfortunately, McFall’s windscreen fogged up so badly on the final test that he had to stop on the stage to clear it, and with it, he lost his class lead and hopes of the Junior BRC title.
Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy ran as the event’s course car as part of M-Sport’s development testing plan for its 2027 Ford Fiesta Rally2 kit car.
Photo credit- Red Bull Media