Lough Owel Motors backed Rally4 Peugeot on top at season midpoint
Lough Owel Motors backed rally crew Oran England and Darragh Mullen head to this weekend’s Circuit of Munster Rally focused on consolidating their position as the season reaches its halfway point.
The Limerick-based event marks round four of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship over the June bank holiday weekend.
The Peugeot Ireland-backed crew currently hold the lead in Class 2 of the national championship, and also head the standings in the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship, which counts the Limerick event as its third round.
The Cavan and Sligo/Westmeath crew are keeping a grounded outlook, aware that a significant portion of the season remains.
They also hold the lead in the single-marque Stellantis Rally Cup Ireland with two wins from two starts, the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS), and the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.
Reflecting on their recent runner-up finish in the slippery conditions of the Carlow Stages Rally, which secured them maximum Stellantis points, Oran noted the importance of consistency.
“Carlow proved to be a really difficult event with constantly changing conditions making tyre choice tricky throughout the day. We were delighted to come away with second in Class 2 and first in the Stellantis Cup, which gives us good momentum heading into the next round.
“The work Darragh, myself, and the team are putting into the pacenotes and the car is really paying off. It is a long season, and while we are pleased to be in this position at the midpoint, there is a massive amount of work left to do.”
With Munster not serving as a counting round for the Stellantis Cup or the MIJRS, the pairing are fully focused on the immediate task of defending their national and West Coast points advantages in Limerick.
The objective remains on clean kilometres and steady progression as the second half of the year begins.
Championship Positions at 2026 midpoint: Triton Showers National Championship (Class 2), 1st, Circuit of Munster (Limerick), this Weekend
Top Part West Coast Rally Championship, 1st, Circuit of Munster (Limerick), this Weekend
Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship, 1st, Benone Stage Rally (Tyrone), next event, June 6
Stellantis Rally Cup Ireland, 1st (2 Wins), Stonethrowers Rally (Tipperary), next event, July 19
Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS), 1st, Stonethrowers Rally (Tipperary), next event, July 19
SPONSORS
Oran is from Virginia, County Cavan, and Darragh is from Sligo and based in north Westmeath.
Oran England Motorsport is supported by: Peugeot Ireland; TEE Fire Safety Solutions; BJD Electrical; IRL Motorsports; The Mason’s Apron; Lough Owel Motors; BSR Plant and Civil; Fortus; Streamline Coaches; OHR; CA Hire; and Kerry Motorsport News.
EARLIER REPORT
Lough Owel Motors backed rally crew Oran England and Darragh Mullen maintained their strong start to the season with a win in the Stellantis Cup in Carlow, and a podium finish at the Moonraker Forest Rally.
The Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Stages Rally, round three of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship, was contested over nine demanding stages covering 104 kilometres along the Carlow, Kilkenny border.
Damp and slippery conditions made the going treacherous, and many of the top finishers reported excursions into ditches and banks as they struggled for grip.
The day-long battle for Class 2 honours was settled when Jack Harris and Aaron O’Regan steered their Ford Fiesta to victory, just ahead of the Peugeot 208 Rally4 of Oran and Darragh. That latter performance was enough to secure the Stellantis Cup element of the rally for the duo, their second maximum points haul from two rounds.
The Carlow event was the weekend before last; in April Oran and Darragh secured their first loose surface podium of the 2026 campaign at the EARS Motorsport Moonraker Forest Rally.
The result ensured that they hold second place in the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) after three rounds.
Having already proven themselves as class winners on tarmac with victories in Mayo and Birr earlier this year, the Moonraker result was the crew’s best loose surface one of the season, an improvement from their fourth place at the Yeats Ridge Forest Rally in Sligo in February.
The pair also secured podium finishes on gravel during 2025, and this first gravel trophy of 2026 maintains their second place in the dual-surface MIJRS
title race.
The Moonraker was the second round of the 2026 Trailer Parts and Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship and the third round for the junior series.
The morning loop was a significant test of car set-up. “Every gravel event is a learning curve, trying to figure out the car and how it reacts to different surfaces,” Oran said. “It was a real bumpy rally, and the Peugeot was well able for the bumps. I made a few mistakes, running wide in places and missing some braking points, but we know there is more time to be gained.
“We’re moving forward and getting more used to the car on gravel, so we were happy with the weekend.”
Co-driver Darragh, a member of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, provided the experience from the notes to guide the Peugeot to success.
“The Moonraker was a great day and we were happy to take third in class. It was good to be right in the mix from the opening stage. The work we’ve put in behind the scenes since the last forestry round is starting to pay off and the programme is heading in the right direction.”
The Carlow Rally was a round of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship, where England and Mullen also lead their category.