Rahill and Grogan set for Junior ERC campaigns

Two Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews will take on the 2025 Junior European Rally Championship with Craig Rahill and Conor Smith and Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock, starting their campaigns on April’s Rally Sierra Morena.

Rahill and Grogan will drive a pair of Peugeot 208 Rally4s in the six-round series which is limited to drivers aged 27 or under at the start of the year. The winner of Junior ERC will receive a life-changing prize drive in next year’s Junior WRC.

Junior ERC features the sole use of Hankook tyres, a fresh challenge already sampled by Rahill on his way to class victory on March’s Midland Stages Rally.

The announcement follows last week’s news that fellow Academy crew Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne will continue Ireland’s representation in ERC’s top category driving for M-Sport in a Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Current Billy Coleman Award winner Craig Rahill will be co-driven by Conor Smith in Junior ERC.

The Cavan-based crew made their rally debuts together at the start of 2022, taking little time to collect a series of class wins in their Ford Escort Mk2. Rahill maintained his form of securing top class results when he switched to a Ford Fiesta Rally4 towards the end of 2023.

Rally4 victories on both asphalt and gravel in 2024 were capped off with a Junior BRC win on the Cambrian Rally before collecting Motorsport Ireland’s Young Rally Driver of the Year title in December.

“I am really excited to compete in Junior ERC this year,” said Rahill. “It will be a great experience and a brilliant challenge for Conor and I. We have a great team behind us as well as the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy which has helped with some intense preparation over the past few months.

“Each round is going to bring its own challenge with different surfaces and terrain so we will have a lot to learn for every event. Experience is key at this level so we will have to be patient as we build our experience and improve our pace through the season.

“It is a huge step up but Conor and I are focused on making the most of this opportunity.”

Keelan Grogan will continue his in-car partnership with long-term co-driver Ayrton Sherlock as they take on Europe’s premier Rally4 competition. The duo has already scored a brace of podium finishes on their first two rallies of 2025, third on the East Riding Stages Rally and second on the Midland Stages Rally.

After two years behind the wheel of his 208 Rally4, Grogan has picked up several Rally4 wins on both asphalt and gravel. Strong results through 2024 enabled the 24-year-old to collect top-three finishes in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship’s Rally4 category and the Stellantis Cup.

“Competing against the best Rally4 crews in the European Rally Championship is an incredible opportunity,” said Grogan. “It is the right time to take this step and face some new challenges.

“I will be taking on new rallies in a variety of countries, working with a new team, and even driving on a new brand of tyre. But this is what the challenge is all about and Ayrton and I have been working as hard as possible to hit the ground running with a strong result in Spain’s opening round.

“I can’t thank the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy enough for their support in helping make this happen. There is an incredible team of people working in the background to help us improve which will be invaluable this year along with our experiences rallying throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom.”

Junior ERC starts on the 4th of April with Spain’s three-day Rally Sierra Morena. Crews will tackle over 200 kilometres across its 13 asphalt stages. The six-round series will continue with two gravel rounds in Hungary and Poland before returning to asphalt in Italy and the Czech Republic. Former World Rally Championship event, Croatia Rally, will conclude the championship in October.

Sean McHugh, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-ordinator:

“The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy is pleased to make this announcement today about two of the top Rally4 crews on Irish and BRC events in the last 12 months.

“As part of our support structure, we encourage our drivers to move up through the FIA Rally Pyramid, and Junior ERC is a perfect next step for both crews.

“The variety of events, the combination of sealed and loose surface, as well as the pace of the other teams, means that this championship provides a competitive yet supportive environment for young drivers and co-drivers to continue their progression.”