It wasn't the fresh start that Craig Breen would have wanted at Rally Japan this morning.
The M-Sport Ford driver started life with a new co-driver in the land of the rising sun but with three stages complete and all too familiar happening reared its head again.
Missteps in Sweden Estonia, Finland and Belgium have all scuppered his chances of podium appearances in 2022 with the Slieverue man finishing outside the top 30 in all four outings.
In Japan Breen began very well notching a second fastest time on the ceremonial opening stage. He would go on to hold fifth place after the first three stages, but stage four saw all the good work undone.
The rally had been held up during stage three owing to a fire in Dani Sordo's Hyundai, with stage 3 ultimately called off completely. When they got back underway Breen was just 5.5 miles out on the course when he hit a barrier ending his hopes for the weekend.
A less-than-pristine Ford Puma limped back into the garage in the early afternoon with the Ford mechanics facing a big job of work to get it back in race-worthy condition.
— Valmar Viisel (@paddocknews) November 11, 2022
Breen would have been hoping for a restart on his championship desires heading into Japan. Standing 7th in the championship ahead of the weekend, this latest stop provided a chance for a return to what he knows best on a time tarmac surface, but it was not to be.
He will return for more on Saturday with M-Sport Ford confirming that he will resume under the WRC2 ruleset to finish out the weekend.
The best that he can hope for at this stage is to build on the relationship with his new co-driver James Fulton with their eyes set on the 2023 Championship.
