Motorsport Ireland News Roundup
RALLYE MONTE CARLO
Craig Breen and Paul Nagle exceeded their pre-event expectations by taking 3rd place on last weekend’s Rallye Monte Carlo – the opening round of the 2022 World Rally Championship.
The Motorsport Ireland crew were making their debut outing for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and driving the new Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid for the first time. After 17 stages in the Southern French Alps, over conditions that varied from sheet ice, snow to dry tarmac in baking sunshine, the Waterford/Kerry pairing find themselves in a very solid fourth place in the World Rally Championship ahead of next month’s trip to Sweden.
The rally was won by French legend and Breen’s teammate Sebastien Loeb who took his eighth Monte Carlo Rally win. Defending world champion Sebastien Ogier took second. However, both drivers are on part-time programs this season and are unlikely to appear in Sweden. Fourth-placed, Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera took the 5 bonus points for winning the Power Stage and he left Monte Carlo holding third place in the Championship so theoretically the Finnish driver leads the series and Breen and Nagle are in second place.
"Obviously, I'm really happy with how the weekend went, perhaps not the strongest of weekends pace-wise, but we really settled into the car with every stage. Ultimately on Sunday we found our feet, our pace was really good, and we managed to bring home a podium result. It's great for the team, great to get two cars on the podium, and we are looking forward to Sweden now,” Breen said at the end of the gruelling four-day event.
County Tyrone co-driver Aaron Johnston was another Motorsport Ireland licence holder celebrating a top 10 finish. He guided Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta to 8th overall in their Toyota Yaris Rally1 Hybrid. They had been running as a high a 5th place for much of Saturday but got caught out on an icy section over the second running of the Saint-Geniez-Thoard stage and lost valuable time.
Privateer Eamonn Boland (Wexford) and MJ Morrisey (Waterford) were competing on a rally for the first time since the 2020 Rallye Monte Carlo. They finished 33rd overall and 5th in the new WRC2 Masters category in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. It was Boland’s 64th event start at World Rally Championship level. Morrissey was on his 51st world outing marking the crew one of the most experienced privately entered teams competing at world-level.
WEEKEND ROUND-UP
At home, Niall Murray proved his versatility by winning TDC's ever popular January Multi Venue Autotest held a Mondello Park. Murray, driving a Toyota Starlet, edged out Eddie Peterson and Eamonn Byrne who tied for 2nd place. On Saturday, Siobhan McCann (pictured below) continued her 2022 Sporting Trial winning streak by taking the honours at Carlow Car Club's Sporting Trial. She was the only driver to clear every section without a single penalty.
