The McShea family has a strong record when it comes to rallying in America. In fact, it’s a 100% Stateside success story.
Production Car World Rally champion of 2004, Niall McShea, has started one round of America’s premier rally series. And won one – the 2008 New England Rally. There was the small matter of that year’s X Games, which he was leading and looking good for gold when he clattered a concrete post at pretty much the final corner.
Technically speaking, X Games wasn’t an actual rally, so let’s not let it spoil the statistic.
This weekend, McShea’s 17-year-old son James will follow his father across the pond to make his American debut at Saturday’s Show-Me Rally in Missouri.
The Argonaut-run Peugeot 208 Rally4 is funded by the Craig Breen Foundation, as part of McShea’s prize for winning the 2025 Irish Forestry J1000 title.
“It’s such an honor to be part of the Craig Breen Foundation,” said James. “Craig was a huge inspiration to drivers everywhere, but especially those in Ireland. I want to do him and the Foundation proud in America. It’s my first event outside of Ireland… I can’t wait.”
James will compete with support from the Craig Breen Foundation
Since winning the J1000 title at the end of 2025, McShea stepped up to a Class 2A Peugeot 208 in Ireland this year and the success continued, including a season-ending hat-trick on the Galway Summer, Laois Forest and Donegal Harvest Rallies.
McShea, whose mother Noreen and grandfather James McDaid have also enjoyed success in the sport, started competing at the age of 12. A run of 13 Rally Sport Association wins is what confirmed his potential to his dad.
McShea Sr explained: “The RSA series runs at circuits like Mondello and Nutt’s Corner, single-venue-type events. We’d got him a wee [Nissan] Micra and painted it in the same blue and white colors as my Micra back in the day – I even put the [number] plate P4 NME on it. Straight away he was showing the speed with that car.
“It was the same when he moved into J1000 in a VW [Up!] and this year in the Peugeot 208 R2. One of his strongest performances [this year] was on the Donegal International, when he was the youngest driver ever to start the event. The engine dropped a valve on the first day, we towed it home, put the old engine back in and he was fastest in his class again.
“I know I’m biased, but I’ve worked with a lot of drivers – and young drivers – and I can see that mile-on-mile James is getting quicker and quicker. He has a real understanding of the balance of the car – he’s that sort of youngster.
“When we were on holiday, his aunt said she’d give him a fiver every time he stood up on surfboard. He’d never tried it before, but by the sixth time he was standing up – he’s been taking money off her ever since!”
McShea steps up to a 208 Rally4 in America, where he will be co-driven as usual by Liam Callaghan, and take on the O2WD category in the ARA Central qualifier.
The plan is to remain in a 208 Rally4 for a shot at the Junior ERC title next year.
“The Rally4 car is a bit of a step up from the R2,” said McShea Sr. “It’ll be good to see how he goes in America this week, then we need to focus on next year and getting the budget and everything ready for the European championship. That’s going to be the priority going forwards.”
But the here and now is following in his father’s footsteps – if a year or two earlier – and breaking America.
