Rahill rallies to runner-up ERC3 finish in Sweden
Craig Rahill and Conor Smith secured a superb second in ERC3 and the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy on the Royal Rally of Scandinavia after a fantastic performance on the fast Swedish gravel stages.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew held second from the opening stage, delivering top-three Rally3 stage times on all but one of the 16 tests. The Ford Fiesta Rally3 crew had the special moment of opening the Power Stage on their way to finishing 15th overall on the fast-paced gravel roads.
“Happy with our progress this weekend,” said Rahill. “We came here with a goal to build mileage and experience on these crazy-fast Swedish stages. We are happy with how our pace progressed throughout the weekend. Fair play to Ville [Vatanen] on a stormer of a drive, we knew he would be fast given his experience on these roads. Delighted to get points on the board as we look forward to Rome next - back to the tarmac that was good to us last year, where we took our first Junior ERC podium.”
Just two places behind their Academy team-mates, Casey Jay Coleman and Killian McArdle sealed fourth in ERC3 and the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy as they finished 17th overall. The Irish duo fought back from eighth in ERC3 after stage three courtesy of several top-five times that left them just 15.8 seconds adrift of a podium finish.
“Happy to come away with fourth place in Sweden, it was a challenging event for me, but we made the most of it with little experience on these types of stages,” commented Coleman. “Our pace improved massively over the weekend, and to get fourth place just 15 seconds off third with some nice championship points meant it was a very satisfactory weekend overall. Massive thank you to my sponsors as well as the MI Rally Academy.”
Cian Caldwell and Paul McPhillips had been fighting for a top-five position in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy when an electrical issue stopped them after a heavy landing over one of Sweden's fast jumps. They returned on Sunday to gain more stage miles in their Ford Fiesta Rally3.
“We had a good event overall, not the result we had hoped for due to unfortunate mechanical issues, but that’s rallying! We learned lots and gained invaluable experience throughout the weekend. Thanks to the Vacat team, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and all our sponsors, friends and supporters for all their help and belief”
British Rally Champions William Creighton and Liam Regan retired on stage six with front-left suspension damage after clipping a rock in their Citroen C3 Rally2. They returned on Sunday with improved pace to challenge the top ten before a broken driveshaft ended their day with three stages remaining.
“A tough weekend for us in Sweden,” said Creighton. “I struggled to find the driving style needed on these type of roads which was reflected in qualifying. That put us on the back foot. Sunday morning was much more positive, feeling more comfortable and being able to get back to the driving style that's needed on these types of roads, which improved our pace. Unfortunately, we retired on stage 13 due to a broken driveshaft, but sometimes that's how rallying goes. We will be able to reflect on the weekend and learn from it for Portugal later in the season. A big thanks to all the team at TRT, the MI Rally Academy, and everyone who supports us - it is a huge team effort.”
Billy Coleman Award winner Kyle McBride kicked off his Junior ERC campaign alongside Liam Callaghan with competitive mid-field times in the fast-paced Rally4 category before a mechanical issue on Saturday evening forced them to retire.
“Overall, we had a positive weekend,” reflected McBride. “We started the event off clean and tidy, trying to get used to the roads as we upped our pace. We were getting more comfortable with the car, the conditions, and working with the team as well. Unfortunately, we broke a water pump on the Colins stage, bringing up the water temperature light, and in the end, that put us out of the event. Big thanks to the TRT team, the MI Rally Academy, and all my sponsors for all their help and support.”