Craig Breen – A champion on and away from the stages.
Ireland’s finest rally talent, Craig Breen lit up the stages with a mix of incredible skill but also a wonderful charm and wit that endured him to fans all around the world.
never forgotten
Never afraid to share his emotion, Craig lived the dream every time he sat himself into a rally car of any sort, and truly it was a case of any sort. Excelling at the absolute pinnacle of the sport in the World Rally Championship seemed to garner as much joy as throwing a Metro or Sierra down a local Irish lane.
Craig adored the sport of Rallying, and the sport adored him in return. He was equal part superstar driver as rallying nerd, in touch with the latest results as much, if not at times more, as those of twenty or thirty years ago buried deep in the eWRC Database.
From humble beginnings competing in a Honda Civic on the 2007 Stonethrowers Rally, Craig would rise through the ranks with incredible success along the way, eventually standing on nine World Rally Championship podiums, compete as a factory driver for three of the largest teams in the sport as well as claiming the 2012 SWRC Title.
An incredible career, here are a number of standout points;
2011 – WRC Academy Champion
Having made his debut on the international stage in 2009 in the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy and progressed to a Ford Fiesta S2000 in 2010, the backing of Pirelli through their Star Driver program would see Craig compete for the newly formed WRC Academy title in 2011. Competing against an 18-strong field of rising stars in equal Ford Fiesta R2’s, the season would begin poorly with a retirement in Portugal and a frustrating mechanical issue in Sardinia, but things would soon come good.
A strong performance on the high-speed rollercoaster of Finland would be rewarded with a second-place finish, before victory in Germany had Craig back in the fight, at least it seemed until a disappointing retirement in France left a 20-point deficit to rival Egon Kaur heading to the final round in Wales.
That weekend in Wales in November 2011 is legendary for the performance Craig, guided as always that season by Gareth ‘Jaffa’ Roberts, put in and the final stage drama that played out. With points available for every stage victory, Craig reamed off fourteen fastest times over the weekend, but at the final control it was still unclear if he’d done enough. A desperate few minutes elapsed witing for the time of Egon Kaur to come in, and in the dark and cold air at the end of Myherin the news filtered through that Craig was fastest, and by drawing level on points claimed the title on stage victory count!
2012 – SWRC Champion
A year of incredible highs and incredible lows.
Fresh off the back of the WRC Academy success and the prize funding won as a result, the focus for 2012 was to compete in the Ford Fiesta S2000 for the SWRC title. The season began perfectly with victory on the ever tricky Rallye Monte-Carlo, and was followed by a second place finish in Sweden.
The third round of the season looked to be going well before a mechanical issue caused a retirement in Portugal, but it was an exciting time for Craig as he began a relationship with the PSA Group and made his debut in a Saintéloc Racing run Peugeot 207 S2000 in the IRC on the Circuit of Ireland. Things were looking good.
Sicily and the Targa Florio in June began with high hopes, but turned to tragedy on Stage 8 when an accident saw Gareth Roberts lose his life. Faced with such an incredibly hard blow, the love and support of the Roberts family and those closest to him saw Craig make an emotional return in Finland with Paul Nagle navigating, but also guiding a grieving Craig back to his best to honour Jaffa.
A spectacular roll in Finland dented an already fragile Craig Breen, but Nagle in particular played a massive role in an uplifting seasons end. An emotive victory in Wales was followed by another win on the tarmac roads od France, and the 2012 SWRC title was secured with a stunning drive in Spain and he season ending Rally Catalunya.
2013-2015 – The Peugeot Years
Having made his first appearances in a Peugeot in 2012, the following year would see Craig begin his first start as a Factory backed driver, competing in the European Rally Championship in a Peugeot Rally Academy 207 S2000. The ERC season began brightly with second place finishes in Latvia, the Canaries and the Azores and later podiums in Ypres and Rallye du Valais in Switzerland, but a retirement in Sanremo and a disappointing result in Poland would see a third-place finish in the standings.
While the focus was on ERC success and rally victories, Craig took on a new role within Peugeot Sport developing their next generation car, the 208 T16 which would debut in 2014. Conforming to the brand new R5 regulations introduced in 2014, the pairing of Craig and the 208 would be a winning combination right out of the box as he brought the car home to his and the cars first ERC success on the Acropolis Rally.
Working through teething problems with the new Peugeot, 2014 also brought victory at home with success on the Ravens Rock Rally in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, along with appearances in Sweden and Finland in the same car navigated throughout by Scott Martin.
With a second successive 3rd place finish in the ERC standings in 2014 and much of the gremlins worked out in the Peugeot 208 T16, 2015 brought with a hugely impressive set of performances across the ERC and WRC2. Craig took victory on Latvia and the Azores on route to an second place in the European standings, but the standout moment was surely victory on the Circuit of Ireland, a beaming Craig and Scott proudly stood before the Titanic Experience in Belfast in awe of the fact they were adding their names to the roll of honour of one of the most legendary events in Rallying.
Having impressed many, the WRC had taken notice of Craig Breen, and his moment had arrived to step up to the pinnacle of world rallying.
2016-2018 The Citroen Years
Craig Breen – Factory WRC driver. The first ever Irish driver to make it to this level. Boundaries had been broken, and a rising star had been given his chance. With the support of the Abu Dhabi Citroen Total World Rally Team, Craig would make six appearances across 2016 at the wheel of the DS3 WRC, but would also work alongside Kris Meeke & Stéphane Lefebvre to develop the brand-new Citroen C3 WRC for the upcoming regulation changes in 2017.
The year started steadily with strong results in Sweden and Poland being punctuated by a repeat victory on the Circuit of Ireland in a Citroen DS3 R5, but the standout moment of the year would come in Finland.
The world-renowned event had often been dominated by Scandinavian superstars, but on only his third event in a factory WRC machine Craig Breen and Scott Martin secured a remarkable podium, the first of nine Craig would secure in his WRC career, while the 6.83 Lempaa 2 stage would see the first of 35 fastest stage times set by Breen.
At the end of the event, an emotional Craig had this to say to WRC TV “”I can’t believe it. It’s the best day of my life. It’s been such a road to get here. I’m missing my main man (Jaffa) and I know he’s looking down on me.”
With a 5th place finish on the Tour de Corse and a victory in Belgium on the Condroz here high points to end 2016, focus was firmly now on the 2017 Citroen C3 WRC, and although Craig would start the season in an older DS3 WRC in Monte Carlo, the expectations were high. A testing year working out the niggles of the new machine saw a string of 5th place finishes as the best reward, but a number of stage wins showed the promise that was clearly there.
Things would finally come good in 2018, as Craig returned to the WRC podium once more alongside Scott Martin, finishing second in Sweden after a real battle all weekend. Speaking at the end of the stage, Craig had this to say “I’m not going to cry this time. It’s awesome, I’m absolutely on top of the world, a bit stepping stone this weekend. I have to thank every single person around me. It’s been difficult this past year but the boys have made this thing work”
A podium on WRC Candidate event Rally Estonia would be another high, but the season was marked by a series of disappointing results as the team battled to get the best out of the C3 WRC.
A difficult season at WRC level though was soon forgotten as another passion project neared completion, as that years Killarney Historic Rally saw the debut of Craig’s first true love, the MG Metro 6R4. Having lusted over this Group B icon ever since his father Ray competed in one during his childhood, a thorough rebuild saw Craig strap aboard box fresh Metro of his own joined by Paul Nagle with Molls Gap being the most fitting place in the world to make its debut!
2019 – Irish Tarmac Champion
After a difficult season in 2018, Citroen and Craig parted ways leaving him without a factory drive in the WRC for the 2019 season. While clearly a blow, it gave Breen an opportunity to regroup and refocus his aim of getting back to the pinnacle of World Rallying. With the support of sponsors, a plan was hatched to take on the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, and with Paul Nagle alongside the pair headed west to take on the Galway International Rally.
In the wet and muddy conditions, Breen and Nagle would take the win by just 14.4 seconds, and they would repeat the trick taking wins on the West Cork Rally, Easter Stages and the Killarney Rally of the Lakes. Success at home was hard fought, but the year was punctuated with visits to the continent to claim victories on the iconic Rally Sanremo and the legendary Ypres Rally in Belgium.
In the hunt for the Irish Tarmac Rally Title, and a place in history alongside countless of his heroes was secured with victory on the Ulster Rally, this time behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20 R5.
2019 – 2021 The Hyundai Lifeline
While 2019 had been a year to regroup, it was also a year to show the World Championship teams just what they were missing out on by not having Craig in their team. In June, just before the Donegal International Rally, news broke that Craig Breen would be joining Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team to take on three rounds of the World Rally Championship with their i20 Coupe WRC. Impressing in Estonia, Finland and Wales Rally GB, Breen helped Hyundai secure its very first WRC Manufacturer title.
Handed the opportunity to remain with the team into 2020, things began brightly with a strong performance in Sweden, and with the disruption caused globally by the Covid pandemic and a part-time campaign that also saw Craig work on developing the Hyundai i20 R5 in the European Championship, the best was yet to come as the World Championship headed to Estonia.
Having lost a seat in the WRC and clawed his way back into the fold, Rally Estonia 2020 was an incredibly special moment for Craig Breen and Paul Nagle as they finished second and stood once more upon a WRC podium, and in doing so helped Hyundai secure a second Manufacturers title.
Estonia would remain a happy hunting ground for Breen as he repeated the trick in 2021 by finishing second once again in a season that saw five WRC events, and a podium in three of those. Estonia’s podium was joined by another in Ypres on its debut in the WRC with Craig setting a host of fastest stage times, before adding a third podium in Finland.
Additional drives in the Hyundai i20 R5 would see a second victory in Sanremo and a second place finish in Latvia, while at home there would be victory on the Killarney Historic Rally in a MATS Performance BMW E30 M3.
2022 – The Ford Year
With a brand new set of regulations for the WRC launching for 2022, and fresh off the back of a remarkable season, Craig Breen was a star in demand, quite a jump from just three years previously. To huge fanfare, it was announced the Craig would join M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, taking the reigns of their Ford Puma Rally1.
The season could not have started better with the team scoring a double podium on Rally Monte Carlo, with Craig and Paul Nagle finishing third.
The high of the debut podium would slowly dwindle over the coming events with a number of teething issues with the new machine, but a second podium finish of the season in Sardinia was a welcome relief “I’m thrilled. It’s been a really good weekend and we’re starting to find our feet. The car is getting better and better – it’s taken a bit of time, but she’s some yoke!”.
The mid-season break gave Craig the opportunity to once more compete at home as he loved to do as often as possible, and it was an extra special afternoon in August as he had John ‘Bobo’ Boden sit alongside in a Ford Focus WRC as the pair took victory on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally.
In the WRC, results just weren’t going Craig’s way, and apart from the pair of podium finishes, 4th in Croatia and 5th on the Acropolis Rally Greece were the high points of a difficult season, at the end of which Craig and M-Sport Ford chose to split ways.
Once more though, in typical Craig Breen fashion, there was a project on the go in the background! Over the course of nearly 12 months, Craig, ever the bobble-hatter or rallying nerd, took on the restoration of a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth that his idol Frank Meaghar had won the Circuit of Ireland in. Appearing at the Killarney Historic Rally complete with matching jackets, Craig Breen put let the season melt from his mind in a whoosh of Turbo Lag and a flaming side exit exhaust.
2023 The Return to Hyundai
Arise the Mayor of Brattby!
Every story needs a comeback ark, and for Craig Breen and new navigator James Fulton, Rally Sweden 2023 was their such moment. After the highs and many lows of the previous year, Craig may have felt his moment had passed, but once more it was Hyundai who reached out their hand and but him back behind the wheel of a rally car.
Sweden had been an event that Craig had soo often excelled on, having taken a podium in 2018 as well as class podiums in 2011 and 2012. On a surface completely unknown by Irish drivers, countless thousands of laps around the frozen Norwegian lake of the John Haugland Winter Rally School had seen Breen become quite adept on the snowy surface.
Back in the Hyundai fold but at the wheel now of an i20N Rally 1 Hybrid, it would take Craig just two stages to go fastest. The famous Brattby had a new star, and by the second pass it had a new Mayor. 7.8 seconds quicker than the nearest rival, the immortal line blasted across TV screens across the world “I could probably be the mayor of Brattby at this stage! The car is absolutely on rails – I’ve never had anything like this before. More of that please!”
Leading at the end of Day 1, only for a puncture it could have been a first win, but finishing second in Sweden had reignited the passion in Craig, and reminded the world that he had every right to be at the very top of this sport. We’ll never know where the story would have gone next, but the memories remain special.
