Craig Breen
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | February 2, 1990 |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2009–present |
| Teams | Peugeot Sport |
| Rallies | 22 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Stage wins | 0 |
| Total points | 0 |
| 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.
Career results
WRC results
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 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 |
* Season 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 |
* Season in progress.
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 |
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 | |||||||
References
- ↑ "Craig Breen adds Fiesta Sport Trophy International series as an amazing fourth rally title in 2009!". RallyBuzz. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ↑ "WRC Academy wrap: Breen takes maiden win". WRC. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ↑ "WRC Academy wrap: Breen wins title in thrilling finish". WRC. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ↑ "Breen reveals SWRC schedule". WRC. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ↑ "Statement following accident on stage eight". IRC Series. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ "Craig Breen's co-driver Gareth Roberts dies in Targa Florio crash". Autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.