Craig Breen

Craig Breen (born 2 February 1990) is an Irish rally driver, who competed for Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT in the World Rally Championship (WRC). 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.

Craig Breen
Breen in 2012.
Personal information
Nationality Irish
Born (1990-02-02) 2 February 1990
Waterford Ireland
World Rally Championship record
Active years2009–2012, 2014–present
TeamsPeugeot Sport, Citroën, Hyundai
Rallies63
Championships0
Rally wins0
Podiums3
Stage wins14
Total points212
First rally2009 Rally de Portugal
Last rally2020 Rally Estonia

Career
Breen at 2012 Rally Finland

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.[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.

He did a part-time campaign with the Citroën Total World Rally Team in 2016, achieving an emotional first podium finish with third place in Finland. He improved the result in 2018 by finishing second in Sweden.

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
2017 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën DS3 WRC MON
5		 10th 64
Citroën C3 WRC SWE
5		 MEX FRA
5		 ARG
Ret		 POR
5		 ITA
25		 POL
11		 FIN
5		 GER
5		 ESP GBR
15		 AUS
Ret
2018 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën C3 WRC MON
9		 SWE
2		 MEX FRA ARG
Ret		 POR
7		 ITA
6		 FIN
8		 GER
7		 TUR
Ret		 GBR
4		 ESP
9		 AUS
7		 11th 67
2019 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC MON SWE MEX FRA ARG CHL POR ITA FIN
7		 GER TUR GBR
8		 ESP AUS
C		 14th 10
2020 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC MON SWE
7		 MEX EST
2		 TUR ITA MNZ 9th 25

* Season still in progress.

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
2		 CAN
2		 3rd 145
Peugeot Rally Academy AZO
2		 COR
4		 YPR
3		 ROM CZE POL
7		 CRO SAN
Ret		 VAL
3
2014 Peugeot Rally Academy Peugeot 207 S2000 JÄN LIE
3		 3rd 104
Peugeot 208 T16 R5 GRE
1		 IRE
Ret		 AZO
Ret		 YPR
Ret		 EST CZE
Ret		 CYP
Ret		 ROM VAL
2		 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 8th 38
2020 Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 ITA
4		 LAT
4		 PRT
16		 HUN
Ret		 ESP
11		 7th 49

* Season still in progress.

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. Archived from the original on 19 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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