Action Resumes in MIJRS Battle on Stonethrowers Rally

Craig Rahill amongst MIJRS crews looking forward to Stonethrowers Rally this weekend. Pic by Cian Donnellan.

After a short mid-season break, the 2024 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) roars back into life this weekend as the Tipperary Light Car & Motorcycle Club host round five of the campaign with the Stonethrowers Rally.

Based in Clonmel, this mid-summer feast of Tarmac Rallying will see our eager and talented MIJRS crews tackle a challenging 107km route over eight high-speed stages, giving some of the finest young driving talent in Ireland yet another opportunity to develop their skills and compete for the incredible rewards on offer.

The sole national dual-surface championship, the MIJRS is designed to develop future stars of the sport, with competitors ranging from 14-24 years of age competing across its classes, with prize funding to the tune of over €70,000 on offer through the Motorsport Ireland Academy as well as a further €15,000 prize fund sponsored by Race & Rally on offer.

With huge incentives on offer, the 2024 season has seen a sensational uptake in registered drivers competing across the rounds, leading to some really tight battles in all classes. In Class 2, Dylan Eves leads the way having claimed maximum points finishes in his Ford Fiesta Rally4 on both surfaces this year already with MIJRS victory on the Mayo Stages Rally and the Carrick-on-Suir Forest Rally.

Right on his tail is a similar Ford driven by Craig Rahill, the Monaghan ace took home maximum points from the Carlow Stages Rally, capitalising on the absence of Eves to slice the lead at the top of the standings to just two points at the halfway point of the season. Eves and Rahill go head-to-head again this weekend, but sure to be in the fight aswell is Tommy Moffett who currently sits in third place even after a disappointing retirement last time out.

Oran England makes a second start of the season and will have intentions to make a statement on the time sheets following a fine second place finish in Carlow, while this weekend see’s 2023 MIJRS Class 1 Champion and Billy Coleman Award winner Jack Brennan also competing as he prepares for future rounds of the European Rally Championship in his Peugeot 208 Rally4.

While the battle in Class 2 is raging, the action this year in Class 2A has been absolutely red hot as a trio of young stars in the making have pushed themselves and their driving talents to the limit in their breakout seasons outside of J1000. Such has been the tightness of the battles that all three of our registered crews have tasted MIJRS victory so far this year, but its Jack Harris who leads the way on the points standings heading to the Stonethrowers event.

Just two points behind Harris, Ciara Duggan is right in the heart of the battle this year and arrives to Clonmel fresh from a tarmac victory already this year, taking the spoils last time out in Carlow. Jack Kennedy sits slightly off the leading two, but victory on the Carrick Forest Rally and the prospect of dropped scores later in the year mean he is also still firmly in the mix.

While our youngest competitors, the J1000’s, will not compete this weekend, they were action last weekend with the drivers tackling the Imokilly Gravel Sprint. In a remarkably tight battle, it would be Oisin McShane who would claim victory by just 2.3 seconds over Danny Brady, with David Travers rounding out the podium. This result now sees Brady & McShane tied at the top of the MIJRS standings. The J1000 crews, as well as our main field classes, compete next on the Cork Forest Rally on August 11th.  

Cian Donnellan
MIJRS PRO