Academy hopeful Breen is fast learner

THESE are busy times for Craig Breen, yet another emerging Irish rallying star.

The Waterford driver, 21, seems to be a little further down the road in comparison to drivers such as Robert Barrable or Alastair Fisher, yet their paths have already crossed along the way. Like Barrable, Breen has also won the Billy Coleman award while Fisher is a fellow competitor in the inaugural World Rally Championship Academy series.

The six-round FIA WRC Academy is the first step on the WRC ladder for young drivers. It is a one-make series where all drivers compete with identical Ford Fiesta R2s prepared by M-Sport and fitted with control tyres from Pirelli. As a Pirelli Star Drive winner, Breen didn’t have to pay the €135,000 entry fee. The series winner will receive a prize fund of €500,000 to spend on developing their WRC career in 2012.