Photos by Traction Media show Oran England and Darragh Mullen at a season launch event at Lough Owel Motors and are free to use
Cavan rally driver Oran England heads west for Mayo tarmac challenge
Cavan rally driver Oran England travels to Westport this weekend for the West Tyres Mayo Stages Rally, in preparation for the second round of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series in Birr in April.
Following a solid fourth-place finish in the junior category at the season-opening Yeats Ridge Forestry Rally two weeks ago, England returns to his Peugeot 208 Rally4 as the championship moves from gravel to closed-road tarmac.
The Westport Woods Hotel and Spa-based event is also the opening round of the 2026 Triton Showers National Rally Championship, the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship and the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.
For England and his Sligo-based co-driver Darragh Mullen, the weekend begins on Saturday with a full recce of the nine scheduled stages before the competitive action starts on Sunday morning.
The Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series is a mixed-surface championship consisting of both gravel and tarmac events.
As the first tar rally of the year, Mayo offers a vital opportunity for drivers chasing the Billy Coleman Award nomination at the end of the season.
England is no stranger to success on this surface, having secured class wins in both Sligo and Cavan last year. He intends to use the pace-note tuition he received over the winter months to hit the ground running on the Mayo lanes.
“The forestry rally in Sligo was a good way to get the season started, but I am looking forward to getting the car back onto the tarmac this weekend,” England said. “Mayo is a tough event with a lot of fast, technical sections. We had a good run on the tar last year in Sligo and Cavan, so the plan for this weekend is to get a solid rhythm going from the first stage, stay focused on the notes, and bring home a good result for the championship.”
The entry list for the Rally4 class is highly competitive, featuring the top up-and-coming talent in Irish rallying. England and Mullen, the reigning British Junior co-driving champion, will look to use their combined experience to challenge for a result.
Oran England Motorsport is supported by Peugeot Ireland; TEE Fire Safety Solutions; BJD Electrical; The Mason’s Apron; Lough Owel Motors; BSR Plant & Civil; Fortus; Streamline Coaches; OHR; CA Hire and Kerry Motorsport News.
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