European Rally Championship victory in Czech Republic for young Tipperary driver
Casey Jay Coleman from Clonmel and co-driver Lorcan Moore celebrate a win in the M-Sport Fiesta3 Trophy at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín
It was a case of Czech-mate as Clonmel rally driver Casey Jay Coleman rounded off his debut season in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy by taking a dominant victory in the season ending Barum Czech Rally Zlín earning him a remarkable second place in the M-Sport Poland backed series.
The Barum Rally is based out of Zlín in the south east of the Czech Republic and took place on the weekend of August 15 to 17.
It is a legendary tarmac event that attracts some of the finest driving talent in the world and it has been a round of the European Rally Championship (ERC) continuously since the mid-1980s.
The Fiesta Rally3 Trophy is an initiative aimed at nurturing promising drivers participating in the European Rally Championship.
Competing in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 and joined by Lorcan Moore in the navigator’s seat, the event started strongly for Coleman as the opening six stages saw times being set amongst the top three runners in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy.
Over the 18.1km Bunc test, Coleman passed two of his rivals as they encountered issues, and finished over 40 seconds clear of his nearest rival.
With a sizeable buffer of a lead overnight, the key plan was to manage the advantage and bring the result home which was executed perfectly.
A steady run over the opening stage of Sunday morning was followed by a brilliant performance on the 20.6km Podhoran test. Coleman took over 36 seconds from his closest rival, and cemented his hold on the lead.
By the finish ramp in Zlín, the advantage had increased even further as the Irish duo finished the event with just shy of two minutes to spare from local crew Daniel Polasek and Zdenek Omelka, and with it claimed the first victory for the Irish pair in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy.
Taking the win in Barum on the final round of the season, Coleman secured a second-place finish in the standing which is a remarkable feat in a debut season at European level during which the youngster competed at events in Spain, Hungary, Poland and Italy before Czechia.
The victory also resulted in Coleman claiming the Pirelli prize package with 12 new tyres for his next European Rally Championship event.
To top off an incredible event, Coleman and Moore finished second overall in the ERC3 class, one of the most hotly contested feeder series in European rallying as a huge array of the sport’s most talented youngsters make their first foray into 4WD machinery.
The result in Barum follows another podium finish for Coleman in the recent Rally di Rome Capitale in Italy.
A lot of this success is as a result of a brilliantly prepared car, and special mention must go to Noel, Ryan and Rory Loughran of RLA Autosport who have perfectly run the Ford Fiesta Rally3 right across the season.