Slieverue native Craig Breen will be competing under anew banner for the 2022 WRC season having parted company with Hyundai.
Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle had been filling an alternate driver's role with the Korean team since 2019, with Dani Sordo in a constant battle to claim the third spot for WRC events.
There are two events left in this calendar year but comments during Rally Finland indicated that the arctic circle event could be his last for the team.
News has emerged overnight that Breen will now race for Ford in their Puma Rally1, which he got to see up close for the first time earlier this month.
“It was really, really exciting to get to meet the team and to see the Puma for the first time,”
“This is a new beginning. To be doing the full program and with the next generation of hybrid cars coming, it’s very, very special. I’ve got a lot to learn."
This new season comes with its own new challenges as it heralds the era of hybrid cars on the WRC circuit. Much like their F1 cousins, the drivers will have to adapt to the new conditions and regulations that come with racing in the mixed propulsion methods.
The managing director of M-Sport Malcolm Wilson said that this deal has been in the works for some time.
“I’ve probably been talking with Craig and his manager for the last couple of years,” Wilson told DirtFish. “And I think Craig’s right, this is something that was coming – it’s a very good fit for us.
“We’ve been monitoring Craig’s results and we’ve been very impressed with what we’ve seen, especially given his limited program in the world championship in the last couple of years.”
“He was in the thick of the fight there, he finished second in Estonia and, for me, that’s the measure – those high-speed rallies are the ones you look at.
“Those are the rallies where you look for the bravery, the speed and the commitment – if you can drive fast on those roads and master them the way Craig has then you can drive fast anywhere."
