Brennan ready for 2024 Junior ERC challenge

Jack Brennan has revealed he will take on the 2024 Junior European Rally Championship in his Peugeot 208 Rally4.

The 2023 Billy Coleman Award winner will form part of a two-car Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team in the six-round series. Galway’s Aoife Raftery will drive MI Rally Academy’s other Rally4 car in Junior ERC.

Brennan has been competing in a Rally4 208 since October. The 19-year-old wasted no time in achieving top results, finishing fifth overall on the British Rally Championship’s Cambrian Rally.

Now, Brennan is focusing on Junior ERC – his first overseas rally campaign.

“Taking on Junior ERC this year is going to be a big step,” admitted Brennan. “It will be a big challenge for us that will bring with it a lot of learning and experience to be gained.

“It is an opportunity that I want to grab with both hands and use as best as I can. I want to progress throughout the year, building our pace from event to event.

“Rome wasn’t built in a year and I am keen to focus on building the foundations throughout this season.

”Brennan started rallying in 2020, claiming two Junior 1000 titles two years later. The young Kilkenny driver pedaled a Renault Clio Rally5 throughout 2023 and he reckons this has helped his transition to Rally4 machinery.

“The Peugeot 208 Rally4 has been great so far. Coming from the Rally5 car has made the jump into Rally4 a lot easier.

“There is a nice jump in speed and handling between the two and it definitely helped us get some good results early on with the 208 Rally4.

“I still have a lot to learn in regards to the car’s set-up and getting a chance to experience this on European events will be invaluable as well.”

The Junior ERC season kicks off on April’s Rally Hungary which will take place on gravel stages this year. The Rally of Scandinavia and Rally Estonia also bring loose-surface conditions to the series with the Canary Islands Rally, Rali Ceredigion, and Rally Poland offering asphalt stages.

Brennan’s ERC efforts will be supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy of which he is one of their leading hopefuls. The academy’s training and tutorship is an invaluable help to drivers like Brennan as they navigate into unchartered territory.

“The aim for this year is to learn as much as possible from each event that we do. We are going into a lot of unknowns so we must take things step by step.

“Hopefully, I can build my confidence in the car, develop my own driving, and improve my overall pace through the year.

“I can’t wait to get a taste of these big events and start what is going to be a really exciting championship to be involved in.”

As Brennan takes on Europe’s leading rally series, the youngster is actively looking for new sponsors to supplement the support already received for the six-round campaign. There are several opportunities still available to feature on his Peugeot 208 Rally4 and social media campaigns.

“It has been a big effort so far to make the start-line of the European Rally Championship. Thanks to everyone who has helped us get to this point, I am so proud to represent them all.

“Obviously a championship like this is a big commitment so we are still on the lookout for anyone interested in supporting the programme. We have put together different packages for sponsors to ensure they see a return for their support so feel free to let us know if you would be interested. Hopefully, it is the start of something even more exciting.”

Junior ERC’s opening round, Rally Hungary, takes place on 12-14 April with 192 kilometres of tricky gravel stages lying in store.

Photos by Cian Don