It was a historic weekend for Irish motorsport as competitors secured wins and podiums across five different countries

The Irish Abroad: Weekend Round-Up

It was a historic weekend for Irish motorsport as competitors secured wins and podiums across five different countries, from the world stage in Croatia to the gravel tests of New Zealand.

WRC Croatia Rally

Aaron Johnston: Made history alongside Takamoto Katsuta, taking a dramatic overall victory in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. After Thierry Neuville suffered suspension damage on the final loop, the pair pounced to secure the win, moving Johnston into the lead of the WRC Co-Drivers’ Championship.

Craig Rahill & Conor Smith: Secured a maiden Junior WRC podium with a brilliant third-place finish. In only his second world-level start, the Cavan driver took two stage wins and showed massive pace on his first WRC tarmac event.

Jon Armstrong & Shane Byrne
Jon and Shane proved they have the pace to fight at the very top of Rally1, recording an impressive nine top-three stage times throughout the weekend. Despite double punctures on Friday that took them out of the overall hunt, they set the second-fastest time on Saturday’s penultimate stage and finished the event with a flourish. Their grit earned them 3rd in the Power Stage and 3rd in the Super Sunday standings.

Josh McErlean & Eoin Treacy
Josh and Eoin showed early promise by running as high as 5th overall before a puncture on Stage 7 began a run of bad luck. The crew then battled a cockpit fire caused by an electrical issue and a failed starter motor that required the car to be bump-started between tests. Despite the lack of room for error on the stages, they gained valuable mileage in the Rally2 category and successfully reached the finish.

Rallye la Llana (Spain)

William Creighton & Liam Regan: Finished 7th overall in their first competitive outing in the Citroën C3 Rally2, using the event as a successful high-speed test for the upcoming ERC season.

Philip Allen & Craig Drew: Showed front-running pace in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, setting several top-two times against WRC-level opposition after restarting under Super Rally rules.

Casey Jay Coleman & Killian McArdle: Led the Irish Rally3 contingent with an 18th-place finish overall, successfully adapting to the technical Spanish tarmac.

Cian Caldwell & Paul McPhillips: Matched the leading Rally3 times throughout the event, finishing close to Coleman despite carrying a one-minute time penalty.

Kalum Graffin & Rhodri Evans: Completed a successful test in their Ford Fiesta Rally3, gaining vital seat time ahead of their ERC campaign.

Severn Valley Stages (Wales)

Hannah McKillop: Secured 3rd overall co-driving for Garry Pearson in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, claiming a podium at the opening round of the British Rally Championship.

Ben McFall & Richard Crozier: Took a dominant victory in the Junior BRC on their championship debut in a Ford Fiesta Rally4.

Marty McCormack & Barney Mitchell: Won the Historic category and finished 10th overall in their BMW E30 M3.

Damian Tourish & Kevin Duggan: Followed closely to secure 2nd in the Historic category and 11th overall after an epic battle through the Welsh forests.

Dan O’Brien finished inside the top ten overall, securing 2nd in class

Otago Rally (New Zealand)

Noel Moloney: Finished 4th overall and 3rd in the New Zealand Rally Championship points standings co-driving for Quentin Palmer in a Skoda Fabia.

Kris Meeke: Finished 7th overall and won the Classic category in a Ford Escort RS1800, dominating the historic field on the famous Otago gravel.

Zuiderzee Rally (Netherlands)

Betsy Nguyen: The University of Limerick student gained valuable European experience in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. Competing under an Irish licence, she successfully navigated the technical industrial estate stages and tarmac tests.

Apologies to any competitors we may have missed by accident during a massive weekend for the Irish abroad.

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