WRC first as Ulster Rally eyes FIA Historic Championship Inclusion
This year’s Ulster International Rally carries historic significance for two reasons.
First, the FIA is evaluating the event for inclusion in the 2026 FIA Historic Rally Championship, signalling a possible elevation in status.
Second, under newly introduced regulations, a former WRC-spec car will compete in the historic section – an unprecedented move on Irish tarmac.
Jim Feenan will pilot the iconic Ford Escort WRC bearing registration J3 WRC, a car previously campaigned by Melvyn Evans, David Armstrong, Peader Hurson, and Martin Howley.
In doing so, he becomes the first driver to enter a WRC car in an Irish rally’s historic class, marking the start of a new era for top-tier machinery in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The International Rally of the Lakes, , last hosted a rounds of the FIA Historic Rally Championship in Ireland from 2013 to 2015.
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