ENGLAND NENAGH -BOUND FOR ROUND TWO NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Cavan rally driver Oran England heads to Nenagh this weekend for the Birr Stages Rally. This event marks a critical juncture in his 2026 campaign. After a dominant class victory at the Triton Showers National Rally Championship opener in Mayo, England, now leads the National Rally4 standings and carries significant momentum into Sunday’s nine-stage event.
The rally serves as the highly anticipated season opener for the revamped Stellantis Rally Cup Ireland. With a capacity entry of Rally4 machinery, the Cup offers a direct pathway for young talent, including a €3,000 parts voucher prize fund per round and a career-defining incentive at the end of the season. For England, the trip to North Tipperary is also a homecoming of sorts; his father Timmy, also an accomplished driver, hails from nearby Roscrea.
“Mayo was a perfect shakedown, but Nenagh is where the real championship battle begins,” said Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver, England. “We made a tactical switch to Michelin tyres on the Friday in Mayo to get a head start on the data. That mileage in the wet was invaluable. Most of the Stellantis field will be learning the tyre characteristics on the opening loop in Birr. We already have a baseline for how the Peugeot reacts. It’s a fast, demanding route, but the plan is to use that experience to find a rhythm early and push for the lead.”
The event is doubly important as the first asphalt round of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS). England currently sits fourth in the dual-surface championship after a solid fourth-place finish on the gravel at the Yeats Ridge Forestry in February. With a Billy Coleman Award nomination awaiting the overall MIJRS winner, England is targeting a maximum points haul in Nenagh to climb the leaderboard.
By securing top National points in Mayo, England has already established a secondary route to a Coleman nomination should his Junior series plans encounter setbacks. This dual-threat strategy, combined with the technical expertise of co-driver Darragh Mullen, the reigning British Junior and Stellantis Cup co-driving champion, positions the crew as the benchmark for the 11-strong Rally4 field.
Mullen, a member of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, noted the importance of the preparation work: ” The work we put into the pacenotes in Mayo paid off in the tricky conditions, and we’ll be bringing that same focus to the 107km of stages in north Tipperary and South Offaly. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 felt good; we’re confident with the car going into this Birr and District Motor Club-organised event.
It’s a full circle back to Oran’s first-ever rally, the corresponding Birr Rally two years ago, so it will be an interesting and exciting chapter. Thanks to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for all the behind-the-scenes support in the run-up to the rally.”
The action gets underway on Sunday morning with three stages run three times, providing a gruelling test of consistency and speed.
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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