Casey Jay Coleman heads to Spain for Rally Ciudad de Granada as 2027 preparation ramps up
Having taken his first tastes of top-flight FIA European Rally Championship machinery, Casey Jay Coleman continues his preparations for 2027 as he heads to Spain this coming weekend to take on the Rally Ciudad de Granada.
Serving as the final round of the Spanish Gravel Championship (CERT RallyCar), the event offers Coleman and navigator Killian McArdle another valuable opportunity to gain high-level loose-surface experience behind the wheel of their RLA-Autosport prepared Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
The Spanish outing comes hot on the heels of Coleman’s ERC Rally2 debut on the season-closing Rally Six Cities North of Portugal.
Progress and Learnings on ERC Rally2 Debut in Portugal
The trip to Portugal marked Coleman’s maiden ERC appearance in Rally2 machinery as preparations begin in earnest for a full campaign at the series’ premier level in 2027. Following strong performances on Irish tarmac in Wexford and Cork, along with a loose-surface outing on the Dogleap Rally, Coleman and McArdle tackled some of world rallying’s most legendary stages against Europe’s top driving talent.
Aboard the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Coleman showed immediate progress during Friday’s shakedown:
“Really getting into the swing of this Škoda now! Over 22 seconds quicker between our first run of shakedown and our last. I am not the most comfortable on gravel and in the new car it is twice as hard, but if we can keep improving like that over the event, we will be happy.”
The opening morning took crews east of the Fafe base towards WRC Rally Portugal classics such as Cabeceiras de Basto. However, a broken damper on Stage 3 forced an early retirement for the day, with no mid-leg service on the grueling eight-stage itinerary.
With the Škoda fully repaired by the RLA Autosport team overnight, Sunday’s final leg brought 78 kilometres of high-speed gravel action across eight stages, including two passes over the iconic Fafe jump. Focused entirely on mileage and building pace, Coleman delivered impressive gains on every second pass. On the Montim test, he carved 21 seconds off his first-pass time, setting competitive benchmarks alongside established Rally2 contenders.
Reflecting at the finish in Portugal, Coleman said:
“We came here looking to get mileage on gravel in the Škoda Fabia Rally2, but that didn’t really go to plan with a broken damper early on, which put us out of the event. We restarted today and tried to build our pace, learned a hell of a lot about the car and the driving style required to get the best from it. Thanks to Killian, the team and all our supporters who were cheering us on!”
Award Nomination Caps Milestone European Season
The Portuguese outing completed a landmark European campaign for Coleman. Across the 2026 season, he finished runner-up in the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy and secured third place in the overall ERC3 Championship standings before making his step up to Rally2 machinery. His progression throughout the year has also earned him a nomination for the 2026 FIA ERC Most Improved Driver of the Year Award.
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