Craig Breen WRC driver victories
Kilkenny, 1990 - 2023
The WRC driver Craig Breen was born in Kilkenny (Ireland) in 1990 and died in 2023, at the age of 33 years.
Craig Breen WRC rally victories
| Never win a WRC rally. |
Craig Breen biography in rallies
Breen, the son of former Irish champion Ray Breen, began his career in karting in Ireland before moving into full-time rallying in 2009, when he won the International, British and Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy titles and was crowned Ireland’s Young Driver of the Year.
In 2010 he finished second in the Irish Tarmac Championship in a Fiesta S2000 and claimed his maiden British Championship victory at the Ulster Rally.
Breen stepped up to the WRC Academy in 2011, lifting the title in a Fiesta R2 after wins in Germany and Britain, and the following season he won the SWRC title in a Fiesta S2000 after four category wins.
Peugeot signed Breen to lead its European Rally Championship attack in 2013 in a 207 S2000. Five podiums netted third in the standings and Breen also began development work with the French manufacturer’s 208 T16 car.
In 2014 he drove the new car in the ERC and, although he won the Acropolis Rally in Greece, mechanical issues limited him to third in the championship
A more ambitious programme followed in 2015 with Peugeot-supported campaigns in both WRC2 and the ERC. He claimed three ERC wins and narrowly missed out on the title, but it was a different story in WRC2 where he was again hindered by mechanical problems and ended the season eighth.
In 2016 Breen was handed the chance to compete at the top level of the WRC, driving a DS 3 World Rally Car on selected rounds for the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team. He made the most of his opportunity, especially in Finland where he claimed a remarkable third place.
He was rewarded with a Citroën factory contract and bagged a career-best second place in Sweden in 2018 but lost his seat at the end of that campaign.
He was rescued by Hyundai Motorsport and finished runner-up in Estonia on the second of two outings in 2020. His prize was to share the third i20 with Dani Sordo in 2021.
Breen he was up by M-Sport Ford to lead the team into the WRC’s new hybrid-powered era.
Breen’s 2022 season started strongly with a podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo but a series of incidents throughout the year prevented him from achieving the results both he and M-Sport had hoped for.
In a surprise end of year decision, the Irishman decided to return to Hyundai for his second stint with the Alzenau-based team. He alternates drives in the third car with Spaniard Dani Sordo.
In 2023 he died in an accident prior to the Croatian Rally.
