Craig Breen dreaming big with M-Sport in Monte Carlo

Waterford’s Craig Breen and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle with campaign the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 car on Rallye Monte Carlo. Picture: M-Sport/Drew Gibson

Resilience, patience and determination are just some of the qualities that will be rewarded when Craig Breen fires up his M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 this evening for the opening pair of stages of Rallye Monte Carlo that signals the beginning of a 50th season of the World Rally Championship.

The 31-year-old Waterford driver has had to settle for bit-part seasons at the top tier of the sport, first with Citroen and more recently Hyundai. He proved to be a steady finisher for both manufacturers — in a limited programme last year he bagged three podium finishes from five events.

Now, Breen is chomping at the bit ahead of his debut with M-Sport and a return to Monte where he has Killarney’s Paul Nagle calling the pacenotes. “It is always something very special competing on Rallye Monte Carlo, but to be doing it for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is a dream come true.” 

The last time (2017) there were substantial revisions to the technical regulations, M-Sport Ford won the respective manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles, the latter with Sebastien Ogier.

It bodes well for M-Sport with Breen adding, “The team has done an unbelievable job building and developing the Puma Hybrid Rally1 and it really shows. It is by far the best rally car I have ever driven and with the addition of the hybrid unit, it is going to add another dimension to the rally. Paul (Nagle) and I are relishing the challenge and are really looking forward to the year ahead with M-Sport and Ford.” 

For Monte Carlo, M-Sport also has nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb along with Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith.

Hyundai place their trust in a combination of experience and youth with Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and 20-year-old Swede Oliver Solberg. Toyota with reigning champion Sebastien Ogier on a limited WR programme also has Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera. Takamoto Katsuta and his Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnston have a full season for the newly-created Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Next Generation.

This year’s Rally1 cars house a 100kW hybrid unit coupled to a 1.6-litre turbocharge internal combustion engine that uses 100% renewable fuel for the first time in the sport’s history.

Elsewhere, other Irish interest feature Wexford’s Eamonn Boland and his Waterford co-driver Mickey Joe Morrissey (Ford Fiesta Rally2), who are seeded at No. 35.