Cavan's Craig Rahill top Irish drive in Czech rally

The Barum Rally Zlin is a counting round of the European Rally Championship.

Mon, 17 Aug, 2026 - 06:11

Martin Walsh

Former Billy Coleman award winner, Cavan's Craig Rahill (Ford Fiesta Rally3) was the top Irish driver in the Barum Rally Zlin, a counting round of the European Rally Championship.

Unfortunately, Moira's William Creighton (Citroen C3 Rally2) crashed heavily during the fourth stage of the rally on Saturday. Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan were taken to hospital following the accident. Creighton was taken for precautionary checks but Regan, who suffered some fractures will need to remain in hospital.

On the opening stage on Friday evening, they were nineteenth having touched the cobbles on the outside of the left hander and hit a kerb. They worked themselves up to twelfth on Saturday's first stage although Creighton declared 'I just don't have the feeling to do it." (carry more speed). They were eleventh after the SS3 until the crash, following which the stage was neutralised.

Hoe hero Adam Brezik (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) took a splendid victory to finish 8.3s ahead of ERC leader Finland's Teemu Suninen, also in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 with Italian Andrea Mabellini (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2) 7.5s further behind. Suninen moves a step closer to clinching the ERC title.

Brezik moved into the lead on SS4 on Saturday and was never headed thereafter. He ended the leg with a 9.7s advantage over Mikolaj Marczyk with Suninen a further 1.6s behind in an all-Skoda top three. During Saturday's action Jan Kopecky, who was bidding for a twelfth victory retired when a stone hit a rim, severing a brake pipe of his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, he decided not to restart the final leg.

Meanwhile, in the ERC3 category Rahill finished a minute and 29s behind category Finland's Mille Vatanen, who clinched the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy. His main rival Tipperary's Casey Jay Coleman retired on the sixth stage of Saturday's leg with damaged steering. For Rahill, it was a strong and much-needed finish following crashes on his previous two events, Secto Rally Finland (WRC) and Rally Poland (ERC). Other Irish drivers in ERC3 - Kalum Graffin was sixth having re-joined under Super Rally while Cian Caldwell retired following an off-road excursion on SS3.

Meanwhile, the inquest into the death of Dunmanway's Eoin McCarthy (22), who lost his life following an accident on the Castleisland based Killarney Forest Rally in February 2002, concluded at Cork Courthouse on Friday afternoon last with Coroner Philip Comyn delivering a verdict of accidental death.

Afterwards, Eoin's sister Rachel told the Irish Examiner, "The McCarthy family wish to express our sincere thanks to Daniel O'Brien (Eoin's co-driver) and all the volunteer marshals and stewards for their efforts to save Eoin. We thank all the paramedics and advance paramedics and all of the medical attendants, who treated Eoin on the day.

"We remain committed to the sport of rallying and we hope that Motorsport Ireland finally learn from the mistakes of the past and that they now fully implement all of the Coroner's recommendations without further delay."

Before proceedings got underway on the fourth and final day, Derek Ryan (BL) counsel for the McCarthy family made the court aware, through an online article, that Motorsport Ireland (on the Monday after the tragedy) stated it was conducting a full investigation into the circumstances behind the tragedy.

The previous day, John Naylor, vice-president of Motorsport Ireland, had told the court, he was appointed by Aiden Harper (MI president) to compile a report on the tragedy, that Mr Naylor said was to have all the information in the one place and said it was not an investigation. When it was put to him by counsel Mr. Ryan (BL), that the document was titled "investigation" he accepted that it was what the document was called and there were no terms of reference. Coroner Mr. Philip Comyn will issue his recommendations later this week.