Kerry BMW dealer Paul Ahern will pay tribute to his late friend Craig Breen at this weekend’s Déjà Vu Waterford rally reunion.
Ahern will take to the roads in a freshly prepared Mats BMW M3 E30, finished in the familiar Aherns BMW /Rentokil Initial colours
that Breen used to win the 2021 Rentokil Killarney Historic Rally.
In a unique twist, the M3 will carry a split livery – one side in the Aherns/Rentokil design celebrating Breen’s Killarney victory, the other in Tough Mac colours to mark 35 years since Bertie Fisher’s Rally of the Lakes triumph in 1990.
The Tough Mac version of the car made its first public appearance at the Killarney Rally Masters two weeks ago, but the Aherns/Rentokil side will not be revealed until Friday evening at Déjà Vu Waterford.
Paul who runs Aherns BMW Castleisland, was a close friend of the late World Rally Championship star and said the car is a personal tribute to Craig’s passion for Rallying and the M3 which he drove spectacularly to victory and to Fisher’s enduring legacy in Irish motorsport.
There will be a strong Kerry presence at the event, with several familiar faces and cars from the county making the trip east. Among them will be Paul Nagle and Cavan’s James Fulton, who will share the Citroën DS3 R5 that Breen used to win the Circuit of Ireland in 2016. Ray Breen, Craig’s father, will drive a Ford Sierra Cosworth RS linked to the late Frank Meagher, Craig’s 2023 historic rally entry car, with his daughter and Craig’s sister Kellie co-driving.
Ray’s late mother – Craig’s grandmother – was from Tralee, adding another Kerry link to the Breen family’s deep connection with the county and its rallying community.
Other interesting cars include the Hyundai i20 WRC Rally1 that Breen and Nagle used on the 2021 Ypres Rally, as well as the MG Metro 6R4 that Ray Breen rallied and which later served as Craig’s zero car in the Killarney Historic Rally. Also set to appear is the Peugeot 206 T16 that Breen drove on the 2014 Circuit of Kerry.
Among the local competitors, Killarney father-and-son team John and Johnny O’Sullivan will drive their usual Mazda RX-8, adding their familiar rotary soundtrack to the Déjà Vu convoy. The O’Sullivans are regular attenders at Déjà Vu events.
Kerry Motorsport News editor Seán Moriarty will also be in attendance throughout the weekend — co-driving for Welsh legend Dai Llewellin in an Audi Quattro on Saturday before taking to the mic to commentate at Sunday’s finale.
Organisers of Déjà Vu Waterford ’25 are inviting fans to witness one of the greatest historic rally car parades ever held in the county on Saturday, October 11th – but are asking the public not to join the parade of 145 vehicles.
Spectators are encouraged to park at safe viewing spots along the 160-mile route, including Bonmahon, Kilmurrin Cove, and Tramore, before skipping ahead to other vantage points during the day. Where possible, the public is asked to stay off the rally route so everyone can enjoy the spectacle of these rare cars uninterrupted.
A static display of the cars will take place at the Parc Fermé off Richard A. Walsh Street in Dungarvan on Friday, October 10th, from 2.00pm to 6.00pm.
The cavalcade starts from the Dungarvan Park Hotel at 9.30am on Saturday, travelling the Copper Coast to Tramore, Dunmore East, and Mount Congreve Gardens before looping back through Mahon Falls and returning to Dungarvan around 4.00pm.
The weekend concludes with a Cars & Coffee gathering in Grattan Square on Sunday morning (10.00am–12.30pm), where the cars will reassemble for commentary, entertainment, and one final celebration of Irish rallying heritage.
Kerry Motorsport News 