Kilkenny rally driver one to watch out for...

Rising Kilkenny rally star, Jack Brennan (19), raised a few eyebrows on his first overseas gravel rally in Wales last weekend, contesting last Saturday’s 'Visit Cambria Cambrian Rally' alongside co-driver John McGrath in the final round of the Junior British Rally Championship. The event was only their second outing in a newly acquired Peugeot 208 Rally 4.

Brennan, originally from Mooncoin in South Kilkenny, and McGrath, a native of Bunclody, Co Wexford, led the Rally 4 class from start to finish and recorded an impressive fifth overall finish despite not being registered for the Junior British Rally Championship.

Speaking at the finish line on Saturday, the Kilkenny teenager said: "We started off in the morning not very optimistic, we just kind of went out to judge our pace after the first stage. We were a bit shocked at the time when we saw it. We just kept the pace up from there." 

The former autocross champion graduated from a Renault Clio Rally 5 to the Peugeot 208 Rally 4 just ahead of his local forestry rally in October.

"It was an absolutely amazing weekend to end the year and only our second day in a Rally 4 car. We are absolutely delighted with the weekend. It could not have gone any better," he added.

The rally took place on Iconic forest stages that were previously used by Wales Rally GB when the World Rally Championship visited that part of the world. Roads like Brenig, Elsi and Cloc Main are familiar to fans and drivers alike but for Brennan and his fellow Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy drivers, it was their first time seeing these roads.

"The motor club put on absolutely unbelievable stages,"  commented Brennan, a member of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.

"They had a bit of everything in of them, old Rally GB stages, so you can imagine the credentials of them stages," Jack concluded.

Also on the day, the British Junior Rally Championship title-deciding finale saw a straight fight between two Irish drivers, Kyle White (County Down) and Kyle McBride (County Donegal).

The title was decided in favour of White, the Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club member set the class pace throughout the five-stage 90-kilometre event.