Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne concluded the final asphalt World Rally Championship event for the current generation of Rally1 cars with a solid eighth-place finish and top Ford honours at Rally Japan, while Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy fought back from a puncture to secure tenth overall. Armstrong made a steady start to his first Rally Japan appearance, with a hard compound tyre choice making it difficult to challenge for top positions on the damp technical stages. A set-up

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-pace

Jack Harris and Aaron O'Regan dominated Class 2 on the Carlow Stages Rally with a commanding 39.2-second victory, claiming top points in the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) after a masterful drive in tricky conditions. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew delivered five fastest times, including a stunning 16.4-second margin on the penultimate stage, to seal their Class 2 win. Harris took the lead on stage three and never relinquished it despite challenging

Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy secured their first-ever Rally1 stage win on Rally Portugal after a challenging weekend on the punishing Portuguese gravel roads. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew started strongly on Thursday, posting the fourth-fastest time on the opening Super Special. They continued to show promise on Friday as the quickest M-Sport crew through the first two tests before a sensor issue meant they checked in late before stage seven, earning a 50-second

Billy Coleman Award winner steps up to the European Rally Championship in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, supported by Motorsport Ireland and the MI Rally Academy, with his campaign opening at BAUHAUS Royal Rally Of Scandinavia in Sweden. MI RallyAcademy driver, Junior BRC and Stellantis Cup Champion, Kyle McBride has confirmed his entry into the 2026 Junior European Rally Championship, competing in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 prepared by Tagai Racing Technology (TRT). The 22-year-old will co

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-driver Declan Boyle secured sixth overall on the Rally of the Lakes after a consistent performance alongside Michael Boyle - their best result of the year in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Boyle delivered several top-five times, including the third-fastest time on the final stage as they held sixth position from stage three, keeping pressure on the final podium position for most of the event. The result marked an important finish for the Donega

A strong performance by Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy was rewarded with eighth overall on the Canary Islands Rally - their best result of the World Rally Championship so far this year. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew made an encouraging start, posting the fifth-fastest time on Thursday evening's opening super-special stage. McErlean spent Friday finding his rhythm, ending an incident-free day ninth overall. His healthy competition with team-mate Jon Armstrong contin

Casey Jay Coleman and Killian McArdle capped off an impressive weekend for Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews with a Fiesta Rally3 Trophy victory on the European Rally Championship’s curtain raiser, the Andalucia Rally - Sierra Morena. The Irish duo’s win came after Jack Harris and Aaron O'Regan secured a start-to-finish Class 2 victory on the Moonraker Forestry Rally while William Crieghton and Liam Regan showed strong speed on their way to a seventh overall finish in ER

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew of Craig Rahill and Conor Smith secured their first Junior WRC podium on the Croatia Rally while County Tyrone co-driver Aaron Johnston made it back-to-back WRC victories alongside Takamoto Katsuta, snatching a last-gasp win on the final stage. Rahill and Smith were competitive straightaway on their maiden asphalt start in the Junior WRC, setting several top-three times and a fastest time on Friday morning. The Ford Fiesta Rally3 crew

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-driver Darragh Mullen finished at the top of the Rally4 standings on the Birr Stages Rally alongside Oran England, claiming top MIJRS and Stellantis Rally Cup points after a commanding performance in their Peugeot 208 Rally4. Three fastest times and a lock-out of top-three stage times in Class 2 ensured they finished the nine-stage event with a 19.7-second Class 2 victory. "We are super happy with how the weekend in Nenagh went," reflected

Dubliner started Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to help drivers advance in the industry What do Moira’s William Creighton, Kesh’s Jon Armstrong and Kilrea’s Josh McErlean – along with many other rising Irish rally drivers, male and female – have in common? The answer is simple: John Coyne. By Jason Craig | The Irish News | Sport / Motorsport | 18 March 2026 A decorated and title-winning competitor, the Dublin-born former CEO of Western Digital is now a philanthropis

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver officially launched his 2026 European Rally Championship season with his co-driver Paul McPhillips in front of family, friends, sponsors, and rally enthusiasts on a memorable afternoon in Co. Monaghan. Watch: Event Summary Video Last Sunday, Rally School Ireland played host to the official launch of Cian Caldwell’s 2026 ERC campaign, and the weather couldn’t have been more fitting. With the sun out and the track busy all afternoon,

2025 ERC Rookie of the Year Craig Rahill and Conor Smith returns to the ERC, adding ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy alongside 2026 Junior WRC campaign. The duo will drive a KMS Racing prepared Fiesta Rally3 in the five-round competition starting with Rally Sierra Morena in mid-April. 22-year-old Rahill took on the Junior European Rally Championship in 2025 after winning Motorsport Ireland's Billy Coleman Award in 2024. The Cavan crew finished third in their rookie year, picking up a

Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne battled through extreme conditions to finish their first rally outside Europe on Safari Rally Kenya, as County Tyrone co-driver, Aaron Johnston, sealed his first-ever win in the World Rally Championship alongside Takamoto Katsuta. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew of Armstrong and Byrne finished the four-day event in their Ford Puma Rally1 despite picking up several punctures, damaging rear suspension, and managing a water temperature war

Irish rally driver makes ERC debut, backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, and opens his account with a class win on the Galway International Rally. Irish rally driver Cian Caldwell has confirmed plans to compete in the M-Sport ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy as part of the 2026 European Rally Championship (ERC) season. The 21-year-old will drive a fiesta Rally3 prepared by the MCN Rally Team in the one-make championship, with continued support and guidance from the Motorsp

After a remarkable debut season at European level competition that saw him claim victory on the final round of the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, Casey Jay Coleman has now set his sights on further FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) success as he announces an exciting plan for 2026 which sees him tackle the full seven round ERC3 series. Having tasted continental competition for the first time in 2025, the young Irish star is keen to impress as he steps up to the full E

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-drivers had to be at their best on Sunday’s Mayo Stages Rally to battle through a barrage of wet weather on Ireland’s west coast. Darragh Mullen added another Class 2 win to his name, steering Oran England to a dominant two-minute, 25-second victory aboard their Peugeot 208 Rally4. The pair moved into the lead from stage two following the retirement of early pacesetters Danny Brady and Academy co-driver Conor Smith. “Mayo turned out to be a

Available now, the latest Krunching Gears podcast episode "In this episode, we sit down with William Creighton and Liam Regan to discuss their major announcement for 2026. Backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, Creighton will step up to contest a full campaign in the European Rally Championship with Tagai Racing Technology, representing Stellantis Motorsport across the seven-round series. The reigning British Rally Championship winner reflects on the significance of

William Creighton will tackle the 2026 European Rally Championship with Tagai Racing Technology, representing Stellantis Motorsport in the seven-round series. The reigning British Rally Champion will contest a full ERC campaign for the first time, alongside co-driver Liam Regan, the pair now entering their 13th year together. Their quest for ERC success begins on April’s Andalusia Rally. Creighton and Regan will start the opening round in a Citroën C3 Rally2 before transition

Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne secured eighth overall on Rally Sweden, with Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy close behind in ninth as both Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews scored valuable World Rally Championship points on the high-speed snow stages around Umeå. Armstrong and Byrne delivered a strong performance to finish 19.6 seconds behind 2024 World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville. The M-Sport Ford crew had a challenging start to the rally after an overshoot on stage one