Carlow Forest Rally Preview
Photo: Cian Donnellan
A new season is always exciting. Nerves abound in the build up to opening day, the first time to tackle a stage in anger. New cars are ready, shiny liveries awaiting their first peppering of gravel and a bumper calendar of events designed to provide the ultimate test to drivers and navigators alike. This weekend the wraps come off the 2025 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship, and the excitement is at fever pitch.
Heading to Arklow, the 2025 Irish loose-surface series kicks off with a brand new event with the Carlow Forest Rally, with it bringing the series back to the East of the country for the first time in over a decade and ensuring that this year’s calendar will truly bring competitors to all four corners of the Island.
The Irish Forest Rally Championship team are delighted to announce that Sligo Pallets have extended their title sponsorship of the series through to 2027, adding three years to their previous two-year commitment as title sponsors.
Originally due to begin in February, the season opening Donegal Forest Rally was forced to postpone due to the significant damage caused by Storm Eowyn, but the club are working closely with Motorsport Ireland & the Championship team to find an alternative date.
With a bumper 125 car entry received, the season is set to truly kick off in style with six stages and just shy of 65km of high-speed gravel action in store across the Wicklow Mountains. It will be due South for crews on April 12th when Dungarvan hosts the Moonraker Forest Rally which returns in 2025, as does the Sean Conlon Tipperary Forest Rally which moves to Mitchelstown on May 11th.
When the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship team opened a discussion with clubs in mid-2024, it was hugely exciting to see newcomers stepping forward to run events and Carlow Car Club are joined as newcomers by Mayo Motor Club who bring the series West with Ballina playing host on May 31st before we break for the summer and allow the incredible Coilte lands we have the privilege of using to flourish.
Come August 10th , its set to be a final mad dash to the finish line and towards the conclusion of some incredible battles as Cork’s Jim Walsh Forest Rally blasts through the Ballyhoura Mountains, before the action shifts north to Enniskillen for the Lakeland Stages on September 6th and the finale at the Bushwhacker in Omagh on September 19th & 20th, seeing the return of night stages to the legendary event.
For Derek Mackarel & Eamonn Creedon, 2024 was a dream come true of the pair claimed the Driver & Navigator titles after a hard-fought battle all season, the title for Creedon coming down to the final event of the season. Looking to the year ahead, the perennial underdogs now become the hunted champions, and they are sure to be the first crew people look to mark themselves against once the stage times start rolling in.
As well as talking to clubs, the Championship team also listened to competitors. During 2024, they conducted a survey of competitors to get their view on certain aspects of the series and to get feedback on changes that could be made, and we are happy to announce that themes that emerged from this process are directly reflected in the 2025 Championship Regulations
The biggest change is the introduction of a separate 2WD Championship that will run in conjunction with the Overall Championship, which will see a Top 3 2WD podium celebrated at the Championship Prizegiving in November, with additional publicity throughout the year on this new 2WD Series. This does not exclude competitors from the overall Championship standings which they will also remain a part of.
New also for 2025 is the Class Point Scoring system, with a much clearer advantage now on offer for the victor who will claim 20 points, with 17 for second, 15 for third and so on. This gives a much bigger incentive to competitors to push for class victories and reward performance on events.
The busiest class in 2025 will remain Junior 1000, the ultimate proving ground for young talent has blossomed into 30+ car entries on events as drivers from 14-17 years of age get to compete on full gravel rallies under the guidance of experienced navigators who also handle the road section responsibilities. The J1000 series is supported once more this year by the Craig Breen Foundation, continuing the legacy of the support Craig initiated in 2023 and to date has given thousands of Euro in support to budding Rally stars.