Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally series to reache dramatic conclusion in Clare

MIJRS Round 8 Preview: Clare Stages Rally

Words and photos by Cian Donnellan

Following a pulsating season that has seen Ireland’s brightest rallying talent compete across the finest Tarmac and Gravel stages in the country, the fate of the 2023 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series title is set to be played out to a dramatic finale on this weekend’s Clare Stages Rally

Being Irelands National Mixed-Surface Junior Rally series, the season has already seen the crews tackle four loose-surface Gravel rallies, as well as a trio of sealed-surface Tarmac events before the final stop amongst the rugged and beautiful backdrop of the Burren in Co. Clare.

Designed for future stars under the age of 25, the Rally4/R2 class is the spearhead of the Championship, and the winners here are competing for some incredible prizes that are designed specifically with their development in the sport at the core. Not only will the winner receive a Training and Coaching program to the value of €15,000 through the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, but they will also receive a nomination for the Billy Coleman Award while second and third place in the Class will also receive support packages.

With the Championship standings calculated on a basis of ‘Best 2 Gravel Scores’ plus ‘Best 2 Tarmac Scores’ plus ‘Best Other Score’, many took the opportunity to try and build a score early as the series transitions between both surfaces, and every single point will prove vital it appears as the permutations are worked to crown a winner.

In the Rally4/R2 Class, it is now a two-horse race, with leading contenders Cian Caldwell and Dylan Eves set to duke it out for what will certainly be the single most important result in their young careers with the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series prize fund being soo significant to their development.

Heading into the event, Caldwell leads the way with a maximum calculated score across the season amounting to 37 points, the standout highlights amongst that must, of course, be the back-to-back class victories on Rounds 6 and 7, the sadly curtailed Sligo Stages Rally and the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally.

For Eves, his current maximum tally of 31 points includes an astonishing drive on Round 4, the Tipperary Forest Rally, where he finished at the head of the MIJRS class, but also a remarkable third overall in the two-wheel-drive crews on the event. Two costly retirements from strong positions especially on the Cork Forest Rally may prove decisive.

As it stands, a victory for Caldwell guarantees him the title as nothing Eves can do can bridge the points difference. If Eves wins, he has to hope that Caldwell finishes third or worse in Clare, as that secures him the title. If Eves wins and Caldwell comes second, the title is going Cian Caldwell’s way on countback as the pair will finish the season on equal points. As can be imagined, there are going to be a lot of calculations being done throughout the day on Sunday as the times roll in.

While most eyes will be firmly upon the battle for the Championship title between the leading duo of Cian Caldwell and Dylan Eves, there are a large number of fellow MIJRS registered drivers tackling the final round of the 2023 series, amongst them Keelan Grogan and Ryan McHugh. The pair finished first and second on our opening two Tarmac rounds of the season, the Midland and Cavan Stages rallies, but a lack of rounds contested on Gravel excludes them from the title race although the progression in both drivers this season has been impressive to watch.

Casey Jay Coleman and Aoife Raftery return for the season finale as well having both competed abroad over the course of the season, with Raftery in particular sure to look back on a fine MIJRS victory on the Moonraker Forest Rally as a season highlight. Matthew Boyle is showing a real turn of pace and finished second to Cian Caldwell last time out on Tar, while Mossie Costello makes his sealed surface debut in his Rally4 Ford Fiesta this weekend.

The Clare Stages Rally will be based out of Ennis, with the opening of nine stages starting at 9.45am Sunday Morning.

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