Five Academy members take on Rally of the Lakes while Kelly heads to Portugal

Five Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members will start this weekend’s Rally of the Lakes while Eamonn Kelly prepares for Rally Portugal on the Amarante-based Rali Terras d’Abodoreira.

Ryan MacHugh and Declan Boyle are set to make their Rally2 debut on Killarney’s Rally of the Lakes this weekend. MacHugh revealed his stunning Ford Fiesta Rally2 in April as he steps up from Rally3.

It will be MacHugh’s third Rally of the Lakes start; he secured a Rally4 podium 12 months ago and completed the event in 2022 as part of his successful Junior Irish Tarmac campaign.

Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen top the Rally of the Lakes’ Rally4 entry list in their pacey Peugeot 208.

The 21-year-old faces plenty of stiff competition on round three of both the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup. McBride made an electric start to 2025 with category victories on both the East Riding Stages and the West Cork Rally.

Unfortunately, an off on the Kielder Carlisle Stages denied hopes of making it three in a row, but the Donegal-based driver is focused on bouncing back on Killarney’s two-day asphalt epic.

“I am really looking forward to doing the Rally of the Lakes,” said McBride. “It is going to be a really good weekend. The stages are amazing in Killarney. I have done the rally twice already, and I can’t wait to go back with the knowledge I have gained.

“Thanks to my team who have got me here, the MI Rally Academy, and my sponsors who have made my Stellantis Cup campaign possible.”

Killarney’s Rally of the Lakes, which starts at 08:13 on Saturday morning, also features MI Rally Academy co-driver Killian McArdle who switches from John Coyne’s Hyundai i20 Rally2 to Joseph Kelly’s Peugeot 208 Rally4.

Junior World Rally Championship contenders Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan are back in action this weekend on Portugal’s Rali Terras d’Abodoreira. Kelly, who grabbed a podium on Junior WRC’s opening round in Sweden, is looking forward to competing in Portugal for the first time since his WRC2 outing in 2023.

Kelly is seeded 30th for Rali Terras d’Abodoreira, which takes place across ten stages on Friday and Saturday. Around half of the Junior WRC field has entered the national event, giving Kelly a chance to gauge his pace ahead of Junior WRC’s first gravel round of the season.

“Rali Terras d’Abodoreira will be great preparation for Rally Portugal,” described the 26-year-old. It is based around Amarante, which is the longest stage of Rally Portugal, and we will actually cover six kilometres of that stage on this event. The rally will give us a great chance to find a nice set-up, use Hankook tyres on gravel for the first time, and develop our pacenotes."

“Hopefully, it gives us a positive feeling going into Rally Portugal. For Junior WRC’s rough rallies in the past, I have never tested in the same country beforehand, so this is a great opportunity to be extra prepared.”