James McShea claimed his first victory on closed tarmac roads with a commanding one-minute, 36.3-second Class 2A win on the Galway Summer Rally to move into the lead of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS).
Stage one was red-flagged before the Letterkenny driver and co-driver Liam Callaghan could set a time, leaving the opening Rayhill test as the rally’s first competitive stage. McShea lost five seconds to championship rival Oisin McShane on the stage, though the gap masked a stronger underlying performance – an overshoot mid-stage had cost the 16-year-old around 14 seconds on its own, leaving him satisfied to be within touching distance of the pace.
Any concern was answered emphatically on stage three, Fogenagh, where McShea claimed a 14-second win over McShane. The result set up the prospect of another season-defining duel between the two former J1000 champions, but McShane’s rally ended prematurely when he went off on stage four. McShea used the same stage to build a 43-second lead, setting a strong time that put him in the mix of more powerful and experienced Rally4 competitors.
With the rally in his control, McShea shifted his focus to building his in-car partnership with co-driver Callaghan on their first asphalt rally together. Still, the teenager continued to set the pace regardless – fastest in Class 2A on every stage after stage two. The Peugeot 208 R2 pilot crossed the finish one minute, 36.3 seconds clear of Kaelin Foley, one of McShea’s finest drives to date.
The win moves McShea eight points clear at the top of the MIJRS Class 2A standings with two rounds remaining. The category’s champion receives a Billy Coleman Award nomination along with training, coaching, and support worth up to €10,000 as part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
“I was very happy with the pacenotes we made during recce, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the first loop of stages,” said McShea. “Stage two was our first full stage of the rally. We were having a very good run but had an overshoot, which cost us around 14 seconds. Despite that, I was happy that we were only five seconds off the fastest time in the class, so I knew we were going to have a good day of racing.
“On stage three, we were quickest in the class by 14 seconds with a good run through. Then on stage four, we set another strong time, beating the Rally4 cars, and by the end of it we had built a 43-second lead.
“From there, the goal for the rest of the day was to keep pushing and gain more experience with Liam and our pacenotes as it was our first tarmac rally together. We still managed to set some strong times against the Rally4s, including being just nine seconds off the quickest Rally4 on one stage. We were also quickest in Class 2A on every stage apart from stage two.
“We finished with a lead of more than a minute and a half, so I was very happy with our performance. I’m getting more and more confident on tarmac, and it was a great result for us.”
Stage one was red-flagged before the Letterkenny driver and co-driver Liam Callaghan could set a time, leaving the opening Rayhill test as the rally’s first competitive stage. McShea lost five seconds to championship rival Oisin McShane on the stage, though the gap masked a stronger underlying performance – an overshoot mid-stage had cost the 16-year-old around 14 seconds on its own, leaving him satisfied to be within touching distance of the pace.
Any concern was answered emphatically on stage three, Fogenagh, where McShea claimed a 14-second win over McShane. The result set up the prospect of another season-defining duel between the two former J1000 champions, but McShane’s rally ended prematurely when he went off on stage four. McShea used the same stage to build a 43-second lead, setting a strong time that put him in the mix of more powerful and experienced Rally4 competitors.
With the rally in his control, McShea shifted his focus to building his in-car partnership with co-driver Callaghan on their first asphalt rally together. Still, the teenager continued to set the pace regardless – fastest in Class 2A on every stage after stage two. The Peugeot 208 R2 pilot crossed the finish one minute, 36.3 seconds clear of Kaelin Foley, one of McShea’s finest drives to date.
The win moves McShea eight points clear at the top of the MIJRS Class 2A standings with two rounds remaining. The category’s champion receives a Billy Coleman Award nomination along with training, coaching, and support worth up to €10,000 as part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
“I was very happy with the pacenotes we made during recce, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the first loop of stages,” said McShea. “Stage two was our first full stage of the rally. We were having a very good run but had an overshoot, which cost us around 14 seconds. Despite that, I was happy that we were only five seconds off the fastest time in the class, so I knew we were going to have a good day of racing.
“On stage three, we were quickest in the class by 14 seconds with a good run through. Then on stage four, we set another strong time, beating the Rally4 cars, and by the end of it we had built a 43-second lead.
“From there, the goal for the rest of the day was to keep pushing and gain more experience with Liam and our pacenotes as it was our first tarmac rally together. We still managed to set some strong times against the Rally4s, including being just nine seconds off the quickest Rally4 on one stage. We were also quickest in Class 2A on every stage apart from stage two.
“We finished with a lead of more than a minute and a half, so I was very happy with our performance. I’m getting more and more confident on tarmac, and it was a great result for us.”
Photo:
GSR26_MCSHEA_SC: McShea claimed his first-ever tarmac victory on Sunday’s Galway Summer Rally. (by Seamus Counihan)
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