Dacia sandero Challenge Cup Update

Written By Declan O'Keeffe

Hi All,

Welcome to the Dacia Sandero Challenge Cup, The Motorsport Ireland – Dacia Ireland backed production class , which is designed to give new entrants into our sport, and indeed, existing competitors who cannot afford to go rallying in Ireland, a way to have affordable, fair fun, on our Rally events.  The humble 1.2L 16v petrol, 5 speed transmission Dacia Sandero , manufactured between 2013 and 2017, is the car used in this Championship which began in 2025. So how does it work ?. 

    Round 1  Midlands Stages Rally

A competitor buys his “2013 – 2017 1.2L Dacia Sandero.  They then buy a Dacia Sandero Rally Build Kit from Murray Motorsport in Dublin,(our only supplier for this kit) and either build the car themselves or get the car built for them to the current regulations which are available on the Motorsport Ireland website or on this Dacia Sandero Challenge Cup website on https://www.daciasanderochallengecup.com/ . Once built, they register to do the Championship, which follows the eight rounds of the Triton National Rally Championship with the best six to count towards the final result. At this point, Dacia Ireland,(through Cedar Motors ) will supply 2 x branded race suits, Rally Jackets & hats, 1 x branded tent and ground sheet, free to each registered crew. All cars  are identical, except for colour. They all get mapped to the Championship spec. run on pump fuel purchased from a nominated Commercial Filling Station (95 octane) and use the mandatory Yokohama tyres. The first round of The Dacia Sandero Challenge Cup took place on the Midlands Stages Rally hosted in Longford by Midlands Motor Club. This was truly a learning curve for the nine competitors who took to the start line in march. The event was finally decided  on the last loop of stages and finished,  

 1st Eoin Murray / Tommy Hayes

2nd Anthony O’Halloran / Declan O’Regan

3rd Caolan Doyle / Rory Doyle

ROUND 2  KERRY STAGES RALLY  (March 30th 25)

Round 2 of the Dacia Sandero challenge Cup took place at  the  Circuit of Kerry Rally, based out of Tralee and hosted by Kerry Motor Club on march 30th, 2025. This was a much closer event than Round 1 and the nine competitors were swapping times all day, with 48 seconds separating the top 4 at the end of the Rally. Jack Newman made a surprise switch from his usual 2.5Lt Escort  and tried the new  1.2Lt sandero which he hired from Murray Motorsport for the day.

                    

1st  Jack Newman / Jeff Case                    45:11.3

2nd Cillian Doherty / Tommy Cuddihy    45:49.1  and

3rd Caolan Doyle / Rory Doyle            45:50.3.

The overall Championship  is very tight going into Round 3 in Cavan on 25 May next, with 3 points separating 1st and 3rd place.

DRIVERS Championship :   1st   Caolan Doyle ,      2nd  Cillian Doherty      and       3rd Anthony O’Halloran

Navigators Championship : 1st Rory Doyle,          2nd  Tommy Cuddihy    and       3rd  Declan O’Regan .

Wishing all competitors, officials , spectators and all in Cavan Motor Club a safe and successful event on may 25th next , from all in The Dacia Sandero Challenge Cup Championship.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Declan O'Keeffe