Irish Rally drivers impress on World Stage In Finland
An historic weekend for Irish Motorsport with a stunning performance by Irish competitors saw them take a brace of podium places on Rally Finland, round 8 of the 2016 World Rally Championship.
Killarney navigator Paul Nagle guided Kris Meeke to a dominant win in their Citroen DS3 World Rally Car. The pair took the lead on the second stage of the event and controlled their advantage for the remainder of the event. A series of fastest times on the fearsome Ouninpohja stage demoralised the opposition and they eventually finished just under half a minute ahead of pre event favourites, Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Antilla.
Craig Breen capped off the weekend by taking the final podium place. The Waterford driver, on only his fifth start in a World Rally Car, impressed throughout the weekend and even scored a fastest time on stage 23. Breen is also a member of the Abu Dhabi Racing Citroen Team who are only contesting selected rallies this season as they develop their new car for 2017. Breen’s result is the best ever achieved by a Republic of Ireland driver in the World Rally Championship. The previous best was when Billy Coleman finished fourth on the 1985 Tour de Corse.
