Craig Breen

Craig Breen
Personal information
Nationality Republic of Ireland Irish
Born (1990-02-02) 2 February 1990
World Rally Championship record
Active years 2009present
Teams Peugeot Sport, Citroën
Rallies 30
Championships 0
Rally wins 0
Podiums 1
Stage wins 1
Total points 46
First rally 2009 Rally de Portugal

Craig Breen (born 2 February 1990) is an Irish rally driver. He competes in the European Rally Championship for the Peugeot Rally Academy. He was the 2012 WRC Super 2000 world rally champion, scoring class wins in the Monte Carlo Rally, Wales Rally GB, Rally France and the Rally of Spain. Breen was also the WRC Academy champion in 2011, winning his first event at the 2011 Rallye Deutschland and sealing the championship with a win at Wales Rally GB. The Academy title going down to the last stage, with Breen and Estonian rally driver Egon Kaur ending the season, both on 111 points, Breen then won the title on count back of stage wins, 39 to 14.

Career

Craig is the son of Ray Breen, a national champion in Irish rallying. He began karting in 1999 in Ireland. He began rallying in 2007, combining it with karting commitments in Europe in 2008.

In 2009 he made the full-time switch to rallying, competing in the Irish, British and International Fiesta Sporting Trophys, winning all three championships. He also went on to win the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout and was award a twelve month contract with M-Sport. For his achievements Breen was crowned Young Irish Rally Driver of the Year and received the Billy Coleman Award.[1]

In 2010 he debuted the Ford Fiesta S2000 in both British Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. He took his first BRC victory on the 2010 Ulster Rally and went on to finish 2nd overall in the ITC. He also finished 17th overall in the car at the 2010 Rally Finland and 12th overall at Wales Rally GB.

In 2011, Breen competed in the WRC Academy driving a Ford Fiesta R2. He won his first WRC event at the Rallye Deutschland[2] and his win at Wales Rally GB made him the inaugural WRC Academy Cup champion.[3]

For 2012, Breen has progressed to the S-WRC championship driving a Ford Fiesta S2000. He won the opening round at Monte Carlo and is leading the championship after the second round on Sweden.[4]

In June 2012, Breen's co-driver Gareth Roberts was killed in an accident during the Targa Florio Rally, the fifth round of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season.[5][6] In Rally de Catalunya, in November, he won the Super 2000 world championship. At the end of the rally, a very emotional Breen declared "I'm a kid, I can't believe I've done this."

In 2013, Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle was signed by Peugeot to lead their ERC campaign called 'Peugeot Rally Academy'. Breen was successful, achieving five podium places during the season, and eventually finishing 3rd overall, missing out on the runner-up spot by only four points. Midway during the season Nagle left the team to help out Volkswagen's Andreas Mikkelsen in the WRC; from the Rajd Polski onwards, Belgian Lara Vanneste became Breen's co-driver. They're expected to return to the team for the 2014 ERC season.

Breen and co-driver Scott Martin won the 2015 Circuit of Ireland Rally which has been a long time ambition of Craig's especially as this would be the 20th anniversary of his Rally Idol's Tarmac Championship Win, that being the Late and Great Frank Meagher.

Career results

Breen won his first ERC rally at the 2014 Acropolis Rally in Greece, driving a Peugeot 208 T16.

WRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos. Points
2009 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta ST IRE NOR CYP POR
25
ARG ITA GRE POL FIN
26
NC 0
Ford Fiesta R2 AUS ESP
36
GBR
39
2010 Castrol Ford Team Türkiye Ford Fiesta SWE MEX JOR TUR
22
NZL POR BUL NC 0
Craig Breen Ford Fiesta S2000 FIN
19
GER JPN FRA ESP
Barwa Rally Team GBR
12
2011 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta S2000 SWE
15
MEX POR JOR ITA ARG GRE FIN GER AUS FRA NC 0
PS Engineering ESP
15
GBR
2012 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta S2000 MON
14
SWE
16
MEX POR
Ret
ARG GRE NZL FIN
Ret
GER GBR
13
FRA
17
ITA ESP
6
17th 8
2014 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta RS WRC MON SWE
9
MEX POR ARG ITA POL FIN
Ret
GER AUS FRA ESP GBR 25th 2
2015 Saintéloc Junior Team Peugeot 208 T16 R5 MON
13
SWE MEX POR
Ret
ARG ITA POL FIN
Ret
GER
18
AUS FRA
17
ESP
Ret
GBR
13
NC 0
2016 Abu Dhabi Total WRT Citroën DS3 WRC MON SWE
8
MEX ARG POR ITA POL
7
FIN
3
GER CHN
C
FRA
5
ESP
10
GBR
Ret
AUS 10th 36

SWRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2010 Barwa Rally Team Ford Fiesta S2000 SWE MEX JOR NZL POR FIN GER JPN FRA GBR
2
12th 18
2011 PS Engineering Ford Fiesta S2000 MEX JOR ITA GRE FIN GER FRA ESP
4
10th 12
2012 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta S2000 MON
1
SWE
2
POR
Ret
NZL FIN
Ret
GBR
1
FRA
1
ESP
1
1st 118

WRC Academy Results

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pos. Points
2011 Craig Breen POR
Ret
ITA
8
FIN
2
GER
1
FRA
Ret
GBR
1
1st 111

WRC-2 results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Points
2015 Saintéloc Junior Team Peugeot 208 T16 R5 MON
2
SWE MEX POR
Ret
ARG ITA POL FIN
Ret
GER
5
AUS FRA
4
ESP
Ret
GBR
3
9th 55

IRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Points
2011 Craig Breen Ford Fiesta S2000 MON CAN COR YAL YPR AZO ZLI
7
MEC SAN SCO
4
CYP 12th 24
2012 Saintéloc Racing Peugeot 207 S2000 AZO CAN IRL
5
COR
6
ITA
Ret
YPR SMR ROM ZLI YAL SLI SAN
6
CYP 14th 26

ERC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos. Points
2013 Sainteloc Peugeot Rally Academy Peugeot 207 S2000 JÄN LIE
212
CAN
210
3rd 145
Peugeot Rally Academy AZO
212
COR
49
YPR
311
ROM CZE POL
71
CRO SAN
Ret2
VAL
37
2014 Peugeot Rally Academy Peugeot 207 S2000 JÄN LIE
310
3rd 104
Peugeot 208 T16 R5 GRE
113
IRE
Ret6
AZO
Ret0
YPR
Ret1
EST CZE
Ret0
CYP
Ret4
ROM VAL
212
COR
2015 Peugeot Rally Academy Peugeot 208 T16 R5 JÄN
Ret
LIE
1
IRE
1
AZO
1
YPR
Ret
EST
Ret
CZE
7
CYP
GRE
2
VAL
2
2nd 185
2016 DGM Sport Citroën DS3 R5 CAN IRE
1
GRE AZO YPR EST POL ZLI LIE CYP 3rd* 38*

References

  1. "Craig Breen adds Fiesta Sport Trophy International series as an amazing fourth rally title in 2009!". RallyBuzz. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  2. "WRC Academy wrap: Breen takes maiden win". WRC. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  3. "WRC Academy wrap: Breen wins title in thrilling finish". WRC. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  4. "Breen reveals SWRC schedule". WRC. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  5. "Statement following accident on stage eight". IRC Series. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  6. "Craig Breen's co-driver Gareth Roberts dies in Targa Florio crash". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
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