Breen now has Hyundai links
McErlean (r) won with a round to spare
Pritchard swaps to
modified Escort Mk
Moffett won’t change approach for Galway
JBRC WINNER McERLEAN KEEPING OPTIONS OPENJosh McErlean has said all options
will be considered for next season
after securing the Junior British
Rally Championship drivers’ title with
victory on last week’s Ulster Rally.
The 20-year-old added to his West
Cork and Pirelli International rally
successes on home soil to put the
title beyond the reach of William
Creighton and James Williams.
As the highest-placed Peugeot
competitor, the Kilrea-based driver
received a further cheque for £
to bring his total earnings for the
campaign to £8500. That could grow
further still if he opts to contest the
sixth and final round in Scotland on
the weekend of September 14.“I’m over the moon with the result
and the fact we have wrapped up the
title,” said McErlean. “It hasn’t quite
sunk in yet and to be honest I don’t
think it will for at least a couple of days.
“As far as where we go and what
we do next season it is still too early to
say. I am going to have to sit down, see
what the budget is and what that will
allow us to do as a team.”
After six stages, Williams led McErlean
before the turbo pipe on the engine of the
Welsh driver’s Ford Fiesta R2T was
dislodged when the car landed heavily
over a jump on SS7 to leave it down on
power. “James had a problem, which is
unfortunate, but we had bad luck of our
own last year,” McErlean said.By Jason Craig
Newly crowned Irish Tarmac rally
champion Craig Breen says “Irish
rallying has got me back on my feet
again” after Citroen decided not to
renew his World Rally Championship
contract for this season.
Without a top-line drive to begin the year,
Breen has been competing in the Irish
series and sealed the title with victory on
last weekend’s Ulster Rally.
He admits the pressure was on to wrap
up the title as the chances of him taking
part in next month’s series-ending Cork 20
International is unlikely with the 29-year-old set to make a second appearance with
Hyundai Motorsport in an i20 World
Rally Car for Wales Rally GB on the
weekend of October 3-6.
“I am not so sure if we can go to Cork,”
said Breen, who triumphed on the Ulster
Rally by 20.5 seconds. “It’s nice to say that
box [winning the Tarmac title] has been
ticked – it is a really nice feeling considering
what is coming ahead. It is great for me
to have been a part of this.
“Irish rallying has got me back on my feet
again [after losing the Citroen drive]. I really
needed it and Irish rallying has given me
more than it will ever truly understand.”
Breen switched to a Hyundai i20 R5 for theNorthern Ireland Motor Club event and
struggled in the early part with a steering
problem that affected his confidence over
bumps and jumps. However, it was not
enough to stop him from sweeping to
a fifth victory from six ITRC starts.
Despite appearing to walk away with
the title, he insists ITRC regulars made
him work hard for the trophy. “That just
goes to show that the level [of driving] is
extremely high,” he added.
His co-driver Paul Nagle was full of praise
for a campaign that has also featured wins
at San Remo in Italy and Ypres in Belgium,
before Breen landed his Hyundai chance for
Rally Finland: “Craig has been inch-perfect.”EDWARDS TAKES CONTROL OF BRC TITLE FIGHT AS CAVE CRASHES OUT PAGE 24
Photos: Roy Dempster, Jakob EbreyUlster win sealed
ITRC title for BreenNew Irish Tarmac champion pays tribute to series for helping him after Citroen axe
BREEN: “IRISH RALLYING HAS
GOT ME ON MY FEET AGAIN”
Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally
champion Jason Pritchard is
relishing the chance to drive
a top-spec modified Ford
Escort Mk2 on Wales’ first
closed-road rally – Rali Bae
Ceredigion – next month.
The car belongs to ex-Wales
rugby player Scott Williams,
and is a brand-new build
complete with a 2.5-litre
Millington engine and a
paddleshift gearbox.
Pritchard admits he will
be “in at the deep end” due
to his lack of experience in
this kind of car.
“When he [Scott] first built
one [an Escort] a few years ago,
I went to Pembrey and had a
little spin it, a couple of miles,
and that’s all the experience
I have of a modern-spec Mk2,”
Pritchard told MN.
“We were always going to do
the event [but] it took me by
surprise when Scott just sent
me a message and asked if I’d be
interested in using his car. It’s
not every day that somebody
offers you a car, especially a car
like that, so I was more than
happy to drive it for him!”
Pritchard owns a Mk2 Escort,
but his is an historic-spec car
that he has taken to three
British Historic titles. He also
owns a Ford Focus WRC and a
Fiesta S2000, and reckons the
modified Escort will be more
similar to those two machines.
Up first for Pritchard is the
Mewla Rally this weekend,
where he has the chance to
reassert himself at the top of
the Asphalt championship
standings: “The main aim
for this year always was the
Roger Albert Clark Rally at the
end of the year, but obviously
you’ve got to do something
before November. We’ll see
what happens on the Mewla,
and if we get a good result
there we’ll go to Otterburn.”Josh Moffett reckons that his
approach to this weekend’s Galway
Summer Stages will not change,
despite only needing a top-eight
finish to clinch the Irish National
Rally Championship title.
Reigning Irish Tarmac and
Forest champion Moffett has
dominated the National series
this season, winning all but his
home round in Monaghan due
to a puncture, to top the standings
by 18 points from 2016 National
champion Roy White.
The Ford Fiesta World Rally
Car driver says making it victory
number six would be the perfect
way to get his hands on the Vard
Memorial Trophy after narrowly
missing out on it last year toDeclan Boyle.“The target at the
start of the season was to win
the championship,” said Moffett,
“and to get it with a win in Galway
having come so close to doing
it last year would make it all
the sweeter for me.
“When we go rallying we want
to win and we will be trying our
best to do that, but we won’t be
doing anything ridiculous that
would leave us with it all to do
at the final round.
“White has come on really
strong in the last few rounds,
so I know he isn’t going to make
it easy for us in Galway. We will
go at a pace we are comfortable
with and hopefully that will be
enough to get us over the line.”RALLY NEWS
8 TH & 9TH NOVEMBER
WWW.MANXAUTOSPORT.ORG/
POKER-STARS VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The 100 plus miles stage rally will take place over
many of the Isle of Manʼs iconic stages that have
just been used on this yearʼs National event. They
include Keristal, Ronague, St Marks, Druidale,
Staarvey and everyoneʼs favourite Baldwinʼs.
ENTRIES FOR THE RALLY OPEN 1 ST AUGUST
“That is part and parcel of rallying
and one of the reasons that we do it.”
McErlean’s achievement was singled
out by Ulster Rally organisers as they
presented him with the Philip White
Perpetual Young Achiever’s Award.Advertising enquiries: 0203 405 8110 motorsport-news.co.uk AUGUST 21 2019 15BreennowhasHyundailinks
McErlean(r)wonwitha roundtospare
Pritchardswapsto
modifiedEscortMk
Moffettwon’tchangeapproachforGalway
JBRCWINNERMcERLEAN KEEPINGOPTIONS OPEN
JoshMcErleanhassaidalloptions
willbeconsideredfornextseason
aftersecuringtheJuniorBritish
RallyChampionshipdrivers’titlewith
victoryonlastweek’sUlsterRally.
The20-year-oldaddedto hisWest
CorkandPirelliInternationalrally
successesonhomesoilto putthe
titlebeyondthereachofWilliam
CreightonandJamesWilliams.
Asthehighest-placedPeugeot
competitor,theKilrea-baseddriver
receiveda furtherchequefor£
to bringhistotalearningsforthe
campaignto £8500.Thatcouldgrow
furtherstillif heoptsto contestthe
sixthandfinalroundinScotlandon
theweekendofSeptember14.“I’moverthemoonwiththeresult
andthefactwehavewrappedupthe
title,”saidMcErlean.“Ithasn’tquite
sunkinyetandto behonestI don’t
thinkit willforat leasta coupleofdays.
“Asfaraswherewegoandwhat
wedonextseasonit is stilltooearlyto
say.I amgoingto haveto sitdown,see
whatthebudgetis andwhatthatwill
allowusto doasa team.”
Aftersixstages,WilliamsledMcErlean
beforetheturbopipeontheengineofthe
Welshdriver’sFordFiestaR2Twas
dislodgedwhenthecarlandedheavily
overa jumponSS7to leaveit downon
power.“Jameshada problem,whichis
unfortunate,butwehadbadluckofour
ownlastyear,”McErleansaid.ByJasonCraig
NewlycrownedIrishTarmacrally
championCraigBreensays“Irish
rallyinghasgotmebackonmyfeet
again”afterCitroendecidednotto
renewhisWorldRallyChampionship
contractforthisseason.
Withouta top-linedrivetobegintheyear,
BreenhasbeencompetingintheIrish
seriesandsealedthetitlewithvictoryon
lastweekend’sUlsterRally.
Headmitsthepressurewasontowrap
upthetitleasthechancesofhimtaking
partinnextmonth’sseries-endingCork 20
Internationalis unlikelywiththe29-year-oldsettomakea secondappearancewith
HyundaiMotorsportinani20World
RallyCarforWalesRallyGBonthe
weekendofOctober3-6.
“I amnotsosureif wecangotoCork,”
saidBreen,whotriumphedontheUlster
Rallyby20.5seconds.“It’snicetosaythat
box[winningtheTarmactitle]hasbeen
ticked– it is a reallynicefeelingconsidering
whatis comingahead.It is greatforme
tohavebeena partofthis.
“Irishrallyinghasgotmebackonmyfeet
again[afterlosingtheCitroendrive].I really
neededit andIrishrallyinghasgivenme
morethanit willevertrulyunderstand.”
Breenswitchedtoa Hyundaii20R5fortheNorthernIrelandMotorClubeventand
struggledintheearlypartwitha steering
problemthataffectedhisconfidenceover
bumpsandjumps.However,it wasnot
enoughtostophimfromsweepingto
a fifthvictoryfromsixITRCstarts.
Despiteappearingtowalkawaywith
thetitle,heinsistsITRCregularsmade
himworkhardforthetrophy.“Thatjust
goestoshowthatthelevel[ofdriving]is
extremelyhigh,”headded.
Hisco-driverPaulNaglewasfullofpraise
fora campaignthathasalsofeaturedwins
atSanRemoinItalyandYpresinBelgium,
beforeBreenlandedhisHyundaichancefor
RallyFinland:“Craighasbeeninch-perfect.”EDWARDS TAKES CONTROL OF BRC TITLE FIGHT AS CAVE CRASHES OUT PAGE 24
Photos: Roy Dempster, Jakob EbreyUlster win sealed
ITRC title for BreenNew Irish Tarmac champion pays tribute to series for helping him after Citroen axe
BREEN: “IRISH RALLYING HAS
GOT ME ON MY FEET AGAIN”
Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally
champion Jason Pritchard is
relishing the chance to drive
a top-spec modified Ford
Escort Mk2 on Wales’ first
closed-road rally – Rali Bae
Ceredigion – next month.
The car belongs to ex-Wales
rugby player Scott Williams,
and is a brand-new build
complete with a 2.5-litre
Millington engine and a
paddleshift gearbox.
Pritchard admits he will
be “in at the deep end” due
to his lack of experience in
this kind of car.
“When he [Scott] first built
one [an Escort] a few years ago,
I went to Pembrey and had a
little spin it, a couple of miles,
and that’s all the experience
I have of a modern-spec Mk2,”
Pritchard told MN.
“We were always going to do
the event [but] it took me by
surprise when Scott just sent
me a message and asked if I’d be
interested in using his car. It’s
not every day that somebody
offers you a car, especially a car
like that, so I was more than
happy to drive it for him!”
Pritchard owns a Mk2 Escort,
but his is an historic-spec car
that he has taken to three
British Historic titles. He also
owns a Ford Focus WRC and a
Fiesta S2000, and reckons the
modified Escort will be more
similar to those two machines.
Up first for Pritchard is the
Mewla Rally this weekend,
where he has the chance to
reassert himself at the top of
the Asphalt championship
standings: “The main aim
for this year always was the
Roger Albert Clark Rally at the
end of the year, but obviously
you’ve got to do something
before November. We’ll see
what happens on the Mewla,
and if we get a good result
there we’ll go to Otterburn.”
Josh Moffett reckons that his
approach to this weekend’s Galway
Summer Stages will not change,
despite only needing a top-eight
finish to clinch the Irish National
Rally Championship title.
Reigning Irish Tarmac and
Forest champion Moffett has
dominated the National series
this season, winning all but his
home round in Monaghan due
to a puncture, to top the standings
by 18 points from 2016 National
champion Roy White.
The Ford Fiesta World Rally
Car driver says making it victory
number six would be the perfect
way to get his hands on the Vard
Memorial Trophy after narrowly
missing out on it last year to
Declan Boyle.“The target at the
start of the season was to win
the championship,” said Moffett,
“and to get it with a win in Galway
having come so close to doing
it last year would make it all
the sweeter for me.
“When we go rallying we want
to win and we will be trying our
best to do that, but we won’t be
doing anything ridiculous that
would leave us with it all to do
at the final round.
“White has come on really
strong in the last few rounds,
so I know he isn’t going to make
it easy for us in Galway. We will
go at a pace we are comfortable
with and hopefully that will be
enough to get us over the line.”RALLY NEWS
8 TH & 9TH NOVEMBER
WWW.MANXAUTOSPORT.ORG/
POKER-STARS VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The 100 plusmiles stagerallywill takeplace over
manyof the Isle of Manʼsiconicstages that have
just beenused on this yearʼsNational event. They
include Keristal,Ronague, St Marks,Druidale,
Staarvey and everyoneʼs favourite Baldwinʼs.
ENTRIES FOR THE RALLY OPEN 1 ST AUGUST
“That is part and parcel of rallying
and one of the reasons that we do it.”
McErlean’s achievement was singled
out by Ulster Rally organisers as they
presented him with the Philip White
Perpetual Young Achiever’s Award.Advertising enquiries: 0203 405 8110 motorsport-news.co.uk AUGUST 21 2019 15