Maiden European victory for Killarney co-driver Noel O’Sullivan
Muckross co-driver Noel O’Sullivan secured his first victory in the FIA European Rally Championship over the weekend, guiding driver Kris Meeke to overall victory at JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion in Wales.
Navigating the Michelin-shod Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 fielded by Welsh outfit Melvyn Evans Motorsport, O’Sullivan brought vital stage knowledge to the cockpit. While the event marked Meeke’s debut on the Aberystwyth-based event, O’Sullivan had previously finished second overall on the Welsh counter in 2022 and fifth in 2024 alongside local ace Osian Pryce and Callum Devine.
The Irish crew took control of the rally on Saturday morning after overturning an initial 0.9-second overnight deficit to Teemu Suninen.
Setting a fierce pace across the bumpy and narrow countryside tests, Meeke and O’Sullivan established a 20.5-second lead by Saturday evening before managing their advantage across Sunday’s final four stages to cross the finish line 38.6 seconds clear of the field.
The result marked a landmark achievement for O’Sullivan, while also handing Toyota its first ERC victory on tarmac with the GR Yaris Rally2.
Speaking after the champagne celebrations in Aberystwyth, Kris Meeke was full of praise for the Killarney navigator’s performance:
“It was our first time sharing a Rally2 car together, and Ceredigion is one of the toughest rallies on a co-driver, especially for a crew tackling it together for the very first time. Noel did an incredible job in the car all weekend,” he said.
There was disappointment elsewhere for Kerry co-driver Shane Buckley in the historic section. Partnering local driver Tomas Davies in their BMW M3 E30, the crew suffered heartbreak when a broken driveshaft forced their retirement on Friday night.
Buckley will look to put the frustration behind him quickly as he travels straight to the Britpart Woodpecker Stages Rally this coming weekend, where he lines up alongside Donegal driver David Kelly in a Škoda Fabia RS
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