Circuit Star Byrne amongst MIJRS Registrations for 2025
Oran England amongst start studded registration list for 2025 MIJRS. Pic by Cian Donnellan
As the countdown gets ever shorter to the start of the 2025 Rally season, its set to be an intensely fought battle for honours in the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) as a host of exciting new names join the series along with a host of movement amongst the classes ahead of the season opening Midland Stages Rally.
Contested across dual surfaces, including the gravel tracks of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship and the tarmac lanes of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, the MIJRS is Ireland’s premier series for developing future talent in the sport, and the 2025 crop of registered drivers is testament to the opportunities on offer.
With the support of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, the winners of Class 2 and 2A will each bag prize funding to the value of €10,000 towards their development as well as a coveted nomination for the Billy Coleman Award shortlist, a life changing prize claimed in 2024 by MIJRS winner Craig Rahill.
With additional support packages on offer to 2nd and 3rd places also on offer, the draw to the series has grown year on year and 2025 sees a whole host of new names who are looking to make a mark. In Class 2, the major surprise is that champion circuit racer, and 2023 Sexton Trophy Award Winner for Motorsport Ireland’s Young Racing Driver of the Year, Jack Byrne from Wexford has registered in a Peugeot 208 Rally4.
Having spent 2024 competing in the European Renault Clio Cup and finishing 3rd, the MIJRS and a foray into rallying will be new for Byrne, but he won’t be the only one learning quickly on the stages. After a remarkable breakthrough year in a Mitsubishi Evo IX, Ben McFall is another MIJRS novice who will be looking to get his head around a FWD Ford Fiesta Rally 4 as well as a host of new events.
With the series opening Donegal Forest Rally having to be postponed due to damage caused by Storm Eowyn, it will be the tarmac first up for crews with the Midland Stages Rally on March 2nd to kick things off, and for another circuit star turned Rally ace Oran England it offers a perfect opportunity to get his point scoring for the year off to a strong start on his more familiar surface.
While England has competed in the series before, an incredibly exciting arrival in 2025 is Robert Cronin, the last star from the legendary Ballylickey based Cronin dynasty will compete in an Opel Corsa Rally4 with huge support on hand in the form of his multiple champion brothers Keith & Daniel as well as uncle Dennis.
Dan Nash returns to the MIJRS following a quiet 2024 and will be looking to show his exciting talent once more behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta Rally4, while plenty of eyes will be cast upon the supremely quick Jack Harris. After a dominating season in Class 2A last term, the Donegal youngster makes the step up to Rally4 machinery.
In Class 2A, the scene is set as old rivals face off once more as the latest breed of J1000 Graduates make their first steps up the Homologation ladder and look set to compete on Tarmac for the very first time. For Ross Ryan and Tommy Furlong, the excitement will be palpable as they count down the days to the start of the season as they both will have Ford Fiesta R2’s at their disposal.
Standing in their way will be the experienced pair of Jack Kennedy & Darragh Kelly! For Kennedy, a standout performance in 2024 saw him grab 2nd in Class 2A at his first attempt in a season that also saw him claim a pair of round wins, while Kelly returns after a year away from the MIJRS and will be looking to banish the demons from his last visit to the Irish Forest Championship although an impressive year competing in Northern Ireland will leave the others in the class knowing that he means business in the Peugeot 208R2.
For the J1000 field, which already numbers twenty-five registered drivers, their season kicked off in late December with the Carlow Rallysprint in Mondello and the Cork MC Boggeragh Sprint hosting the opening scoring opportunities. With James McShea and Oisin McShane claiming the top step on either event, the real battle will kick off on March 23rd when the pair face off for the first time this season with the Carlow Forest Rally.
With an incredibly exciting season in store, all the latest updates and points from the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series can be found at MIJRS.ie or on Facebook. Championship Registration is still open and any driver under the age of 24 on January 1st 2025 is welcome to sign up for free and compete.
Cian Donnellan, MIJRS PRO