A Monaghan father and son are set to head-to-head against each other in a round of the FIA European Rally Championship this weekend.
Motorsport Ireland co-drivers Mac and Arthur Kierans are both contesting the BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia. Alongside junior contestants in the third round of the Junior FIA European Rally Championship.
Mac will compete in the event with Australian driver Max McRae. At the same time, his father Arthur has been recruited by Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Aoife Raftery for the two-day event that is based in Karlstad in the Värmland region of Sweden.
Both McRae and Raftery are competing in the junior element of the series in all most identical cars.
McRae and Arthurs will drive an Opel Corsa while Raftery and Arthurs compete in a PCRS Rallysport-prepared Peugeot 208. They are seeded one after the other. McRae at 32 and Raftery one place behind adding to the challenge and excitement for the son and father.
Galway woman Raftery competes in her third FIA Junior European Rally Championship and arrives in Sweden on the back of her best domestic result-to-date.
Just over a week ago, Raftery finished 15th overall and first in her class in the Moonraker Forestry Rally in County Cork. At the wheel of the Ford Fiesta that she uses on Irish rallies.
"Arthur Kierans is co-driving for me this weekend" said Galway driver Raftery. "So it is great to have him and his knowledge and experience on board as well".
Hectic Schedule
It is also a busy time for Mac Kierans. Kierans and McRae tackled last weekend’s Rali de Castelo Branco, an all-tarmac round of the Portuguese Rally Championship.
They were running as high as 10th in the same Corsa they’re using in Sweden this weekend, until a mechanical issue prevented them starting leg two on Saturday.
Also, in action in Portugal at the weekend was Motorsport Ireland co-driver James Fulton. Fulton was on pace note duty for Kris Meeke in a Hyundai Portugal-run Hyundai i20 Rally 2. The same rally as Kierans where they took a start-to-finish victory, their second win of the campaign.
Fulton made his way direct from Portugal to the Royal Rally of Scandinavia. Where he will partner with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean in a PCRS Rallysport-run Hyundai i20 Rally 2.
Last month, at the Let Rally Liepaja in Latvia, they finished an impressive fourth. McErlean’s career-best result to date at European level. Royal Rally of Scandinavia takes place over gravel roads. Which previously used in the all-snow Rally Sweden that was based in the region up to 2020.
We are looking to build on the momentum from Liepaja, said McErlean from Kilrea in County Derry.
