03/09/2026
Big Rally weekend coming up for Casey Jay Coleman Rallying, he will be going a little bit quicker than he is normally seen around here in the Volvo Trucks FH500 ;-)
Coleman in ERC3 Title Battle heading to Wales
The hunt for the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship ERC3 title steps up a gear this weekend, and right at the heart of the battle lies Casey Jay Coleman, the Irish star looking to shine on this weekend’s Rali Ceredigion, the sixth round of a remarkable season to date.
The lanes of west Wales are set to welcome the cream of Europe’s rallying talent over the coming days, with the Aberystwyth based event quickly becoming a hugely popular addition to the ERC Calendar in recent seasons. This weekend, many eyes will be on the battle amongst the Rally3 crews, as the ERC3 title battle rages on.
Casey Jay Coleman has found himself right at the heart of the battle thanks to a remarkable season to date, with a pair of second-place finishes in Spain on the season opening Rally Andalucía- Sierra Morena and a remarkable comeback drive on Rally Poland boosted by strong results in Sweden & Italy to leave him sitting third in the standings heading to Wales.
While a disappointing result in Czechia last time out may have dented hopes of securing the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy alongside the ultimate aim of securing ERC3 glory, Coleman would still secure second place in the standing in the Pirelli, WRC Promoter & Warter Fuels backed series that has proven to be a launch pad for a range of the sports brightest talent.
While not quite home turf, the terrain of Rali Ceredigion should suit Casey Jay Coleman with the high speed and often bumpy Tarmac lanes being very similar in style to those found in Ireland. While new to the event, Coleman has strong experience to rely upon such as really strong showings in Rally2 machinery on events such as the Cork ’20 and Wexford Stages Rally in 2025.
Heading into the event, Coleman and Navigator Killian McArdle will know that they must secure a strong result in their RLA Autosport Ford Fiesta Rally3 to bring the ERC3 title fight to the season ending Rally Five Cities North of Portugal in October, but speaking before the event Coleman was feeling good and happy with the preparation.
“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into these Welsh stages this weekend in Ceredigion, probably the closest thing we will get to a home event in the European championship. I think the weather will play a big part this weekend, it looks to be pretty mixed across the weekend so it’s going to be interesting. We need a good result here to get our championship back on track after the disappointment in Czech Republic, but the feeling is very positive ahead of the event.”
The event is shaping up to be a true duel between the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy supported Coleman and his title rival across the season to date Ville Vatanen, the 19-year-old Finn having pipped Casey Jay to the 2026 M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy. While Vatanen holds an advantage in the points standings, he has yet to take a dropped score this season. Fellow ERC3 title contender Lucas Zielinski will not compete in Wales.
Having started the season with ambitions of securing the 2026 ERC3 Title, this weekend is crucial for Casey Jay Colemans ambition of being the first Irish driver to take home a European Rally Championship title. With Shakedown on Friday morning, the action begins in earnest under darkness with a pair of town centre spectator stages in Aberystwyth followed by the high-speed stages of Elerch & Blaenmelindwr which lie in the hills above the town.
Over Saturday & Sunday the crews will tackle a further twelve stages over a demanding 198km route sure to be full of drama and excitement. The event will be covered live all weekend through the Rally TV platform, and by a host of broadcasters right across the world reaching over 93 million viewers in 118 countries, with the FIA ERC social media accounts attracting hundreds of millions of views across the season.
Casey Jay Coleman is supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, Suirway Group, Keltech, Lyons Motor Group, Murray Motorsport, Cappoquin Logistics & Killsheelin Limestone Quarries.
