Busy times for Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members
Jon Armstrong & Eoin Treacy sit 7th in the European Rally Championship Standings heading to Barum Czech Rally Zlin.
Armstrong Ready to Tackle Barum Rally Challenge
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Jon Armstrong is relishing the opportunity to take on the demanding Barum Rally Zlín this weekend.
The M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, partnered with co-driver Eoin Treacy, is confident his experience on narrow, twisty roads will give him an edge over the smoother tarmac he encountered in Rome last month. The Czech Republic event is the sixth round of the eight-race 2024 FIA European Rally Championship.
Armstrong’s confidence is soaring ahead of the Barum Rally Zlín. While his previous tarmac outing in Rome was only his second in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, he impressed with a fourth-fastest time on stage 10. This performance, coupled with his dominant Rally3 performance at Barum last year before a heartbreaking retirement, has the Fermanagh driver eager to tackle the Czech challenge.
“Barum is a classic rally with some incredibly challenging stages,” said Armstrong. “The changing surface conditions and dirty roads make it a real test, but I believe my experience on similar roads at home will be beneficial. It’s going to be tough, but we’re excited to get back into the action and fight for a strong result as we approach the business end of the season.”
Cork Forestry Rally
Reigning Motorsport Ireland National Forestry champion Ryan Caldwell made a rare appearance at a championship event at the Cork Foresty Rally on Sunday. Caldwell and co-driver Stephen O’Brien finished sixth overall in their Skoda Fabia R5 in just his fourth rally this year and second one on gravel.
“It is hard to stay with the boys who are out every weekend,” he said. “This event is a shakedown for the Lakeland and Bushwhacker rallies.”
Craig Rahill and co-driver Conor Smith dominated Class 2. The Ford Fiesta Rally4 driver led the class from start to finish. It was an important result for the Cavan man who is trying to secure the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series.He will miss the next round, the Galway Summer Rally, as he will make his Junior FIA European Rally Championship debut on Rali Ceredigion the same weekend.
“We kept a steady pace,” said Rahill “We were driving with the championship in mind.”
Jack Harris secured class 2a in the MIJRS in Cork.
Academy Battle Heats Up on Ulster Rally
Three Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy drivers will go head-to-head in a thrilling battle on this weekend’s Ulster Rally.
For the first time since the Galway International Rally in February, Jack Brennan, Cian Caldwell, and Aoife Raftery will compete against each other in Rally4 cars.While each driver has followed a different competitive path this season, the Ulster Rally promises a fierce intra-academy showdown.
Caldwell, the top-seeded Academy driver on the event, has focused primarily on Irish tarmac rallies, securing impressive results including a Rally4 class win on the Circuit of Ireland.The Meath man will switch to a Ford Fiesta Rally4 after campaigning a Peugeot 208 Rally4 all season. He and co-driver Liam Egan used Sunday’s Cork Forestry Rally as a warm-up in the new car before tackling the Ulster stages.
He said: “As the day went on, we felt more and more comfortable and confident.”
He finished second in class behind Rahill.
Billy Coleman Award winner Brennan has split his season between international and national events. After competing on the opening rounds of the Junior FIA European Rally Championship, he and John McGrath returned to Irish soil for valuable seat time ahead of the upcoming Rali Ceredigion.
After finishing third in class in Cork on Sunday Brennan said: “It is all about seat time, we will be in the car two out of the three weekends between now and Ceredigion."
Marking her first Irish rally start since the Galway International, Raftery views the Ulster Rally as a vital asphalt test ahead of her return to the Junior European Rally Championship in Wales at the end of the month.
“We haven't done many tarmac events this year, it's been more gravel so far so it's time to make the switch and try and get a good feeling in the car and build confidence,“ said Raftery who will be co-driven by Scotland-based Antrim woman Hannah McKillop.“It is another chance to get out and do an event before the next round of the European Championship in Wales. I'm looking forward to having Hannah over to do the rally with me. There is going to be plenty of competition as it’s a round of the Irish Tarmac championship and we'll have lots of good drivers there.”
The Ulster Rally kicks off on Saturday morning with two stages, followed by a service halt in Newry. The afternoon sees a repeat of the morning stages, with a regrouping at Banbridge Civic Building. The final loop of three stages will determine the result before the winners cross the finish ramp at 5.30 pm in Newry.
