Watch: J1000 Stars travel to Norway
- Cian Donnellan
- Jan 29
- 3 min read
It's the stuff of dreams. A frozen Norwegian Lake, a tricky but fast circuit carved amongst the snow banks and the keys to a Rally Machine under the tuition of some of the sports finest teachers. With thanks to the Craig Breen Foundation though, Oisin McShane and Ross Ryan got the opportunity of a lifetime, and heres how they got on.
For McShane (15) and Ryan (18), the trip was earned thanks to their success in the 2024 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship, earning their spot to travel to the legendary John Haugland Winter Rally School in Dagali, Norway.
For the pair of youngsters, the trip was a huge learning opportunity as they were exposed to a completely new surface, but the hands on tuition by the master that is Haugland instilled car control techniques destined to improve stage times, and its a proven result as countless World Champions and Rally Superstars have visited the school since its inception in 1991.
Following an early morning briefing and a few minutes of getting used to the incredible conditions, Oisin and Ross made their first tentative outings onto the 30-cm deep ice covered lake behind the wheel of a Nissan Almera GTi.
With both drivers having spent their entire careers to date in FWD machinery, the car was a perfect match for their skills and development across the day. For Oisin, it was a sizeable step up in performance as he has only completed a single season at J1000, while for Ross it was more chance to become used to increased speed as he begins 2025 moving into an R2 Ford Fiesta.
Over the course of the day, the commitment levels increased from both, with the occasional visit to the snowbanks seen as an encouraging process of pushing the limits.
Day two brought with it clear skies, 40cm of overnight snow and a tantalizing opportunity. John Haugland was joined for the two days by Rallycross Superstar Andreas Bakkerud as an instructor, and such was how impressed he had been with the two young Irish stars that there was an opportunity to step up from the humble Nissan to a full blown Subaru Impreza Group N car.
With an opportunity like that on the line, the pair grabbed it with open arms. Remember that bit at the start about a dream, well neither Oisin or Ross could have imagined getting to add 'Driving a Group N Impreza with a Rallycross Superstar alongside' to the wishlist.
We couldn't have imagined though just home quick and comfertable the pair got in the car incredibly quickly!
At the end of two special days, Oisin & Ross, their Fathers Fabian & Jason as well as Championship Representatives John Quill & Cian Donnellan were left in no doubt just how special a place this is, and why Craig Breen in particular enjoyed his time there soo much.
The learning opportunity available on a huge expanse of frozen lake is unlike anything in the world, and to have tuition from John and Andreas is priceless for the development of these future stars.
This trip is only the start of a busy 2025 for the Craig Breen Foundation, with prize Vouchers on offer across all six J1000 rounds of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship, a prize drive in Portugal with Sports&You in a Hyundai Cup Car and another trip to the Haugland Winter Rally School on offer to the winners come the end of the season.
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