Junior 1000 winner gets Lakeland Fiesta R2 outing

Double Irish Forest Rally Junior 1000 Championship winner Jason Murphy will receive a prize drive in a Ford Fiesta R2 thanks to his success.

Murphy drives a Peugeot 107 in the series – which allows drivers aged 15 to compete on gravel forest rallies – and will debut in the car on the Lakeland Stages this Saturday.

“Getting a drive means a lot as it would be difficult to afford to rally an R2 at present, and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Murphy. “The forestry championship is a brilliant championship and hopefully more drivers will come on board for J1000 2019. It’s a very cost-effective way to go rallying and with all cars equal, the competition is great.

“I’d like to thank the various sponsors for helping to make the drive on the Lakeland Rally happen, and something like this is a great incentive for any young driver starting out.”

The Lakeland Stages has received a strong entry as the latest round of the Irish Forest Rally Championship, with over 100 cars expected to start a gravel event in the Emerald Isle for the first time since 2007.

The Sligo Stages will attempt to run this Sunday for a third time after cancellations brought about by the recent heatwave in the region. The nine-stage event has around 100 entries, headed by last year’s champion Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta R5). The Irish National Rally Championship is shaping up to be a battle between Sam’s younger brother Josh and Declan Boyle, both in Ford Fiesta RS WRCS. They are tied after dropped scores while Josh has won the last two events.