MIJRS Round 2 Preview: Midlands Stages Rally
After the season opener on gravel with the Killarney Forestry Rally, the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally (MIJRS) series switches focus this weekend as the first Tarmac date on the calendar sees a host of the country finest young Rallying talent head to Longford to tackle the Midland Stages Rally.
With nine special stages and 109.7km of competitive sealed surface action in store for the crews on Sunday morning, the Midland Motor Club run event already looks exciting, and that is sure to build even further as we edge ever closer to the first stage going live on Sunday Morning.
While we will not see the Junior 1000 crews on this event, the Midland Stages is the first taste of Asphalt for those in all the other classes such as Rally4/ R2 as well Rally5, and will also be a counting round for any drivers yet to register in J1600 as well.
Ireland’s sole Mix-Surface championship, the MIJRS is quickly becoming a vital step in the development of a host of upcoming and exciting Irish rallying talent and already this season its clear just how close and enthralling the battles are set to be for the 2023 crown.
Designed for future stars under the age of 25, the Rally4/R2 class is the spearhead of the Championship, and the winners here are competing for some incredibly prizes that are designed specifically with their development in the sport at the core. Not only will the winner receive a Training & Coaching program to the value of €15,000 through the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, but they will also receive a nomination for the Billy Coleman Award. 2nd and 3rd place in the Class will also receive support packages.
With the Championship standings calculated on a bases of ‘Best 2 Gravel Scores’ plus ‘Best 2 Tarmac Scores’ plus ‘Best Other Score’, many have taken the opportunity to try and build a score early, with Casey-Jay Coleman and Dylan Eves, both in similar Ford Fiesta Rally4 machines, sure to duke it out on the time sheets.
The pair both netted a fastest stage time each in the Rally4 class on the opening round of the 2023 MIJRS season, the Killarney Forestry Rally, and the stage looks set again for the pair to lock horns this weekend.
In the Rally5 class, 2022 J1000 Champion Jack Brennan continues his incredible development as he debuts the Motorsport Ireland liveried Renault Clio Rally5 on Irish Tarmac. Having made his sealed-surface debut only last September, seat time and getting experience in the car are the clear goals this weekend, as well as continuing to build a strong score in the Rally5 class.
The action kicks off on Sunday morning with the first stage going live at 09.23, and for any competitor under the age of 25 wishing to compete in the series, Championship Registrar Elaine Higgins will be available at Documentation Scrutiny, and further information can be found under the Events & Championships section of the Motorsport Ireland website.
2023 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series – Counting Rounds
J1000 (Class 21)
Rd 1 - Killarney Forest - 19/02/2023 - Gravel
Rd 2 - Moonraker Forest - 15/04/2023 - Gravel
Rd 3 - Tipperary Forest - 14/05/2023 - Gravel
Rd 4 - Wexford Sprint - 11/06/2023 - Tar
Rd 5 - Cork Forest - 20/08/2023 - Gravel
Rd 6 - Carrick Sprint - 27/08/2023 – Tar
J1600 (Class 16)/ Rally4 & R2 (Class 2)/ Rally 5 (Class 1)
Rd 1 - Killarney Forest - 19/02/2023 - Gravel
Rd 2 - Midland Stages - 05/03/2023 - Tar
Rd 3 - Moonraker Forest - 15/04/2023 - Gravel
Rd 4 - Tipperary Forest - 14/05/2023 - Gravel
Rd 5 - Cavan Stages - 28/05/2023 - Tar
Rd 6 - Connacht Stages - 16/07/2023 - Tar
Rd 7 - Cork Forest - 20/08/2023 - Gravel
Rd 8 - Clare Stages - 24/09/2023 - Tar