Craig Breen will contest a full Portugal Rally Championship season in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, meaning he’ll make a European Rally Championship return on Rally de Fafe.
Breen, who left Hyundai for M-Sport Ford for the 2022 World Rally Championship, has returned to the marque that gave him a career lifeline halfway through 2019, sharing an i20 N Rally1 with three-time WRC winner Dani Sordo.
Breen’s first rally back behind the wheel of a Hyundai will be Rally Sweden in just over two weeks, but just like during his first spell with the brand his season is set to include several rallies in an R5/Rally2 machine.
The i20 N Rally2 will be a new car to Breen though who only ever drove the old i20 R5 in competition, as will the Portuguese championship which he will do with Hyundai Team Portugal.
Ricardo Teodósio will be his team-mate.
#Rally2 news📰: @Craig_Breen will join Team Hyundai Portugal for the 2023 @FPAK12 national rally championship 🇵🇹! pic.twitter.com/4G1OslshUk
— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) January 27, 2023
Breen’s Portuguese program will begin with Rally de Fafe in mid March, his first ERC start since July 2021.
Breen spent several years in the ERC on his way up to the WRC and then later when driving part-time for Hyundai. In 35 championship starts he has five victories – four of them for Peugeot and one in a Citroën.
Breen will be joined by new co-driver James Fulton, who replaced the retiring Paul Nagle from Rally Japan last November.
