Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

In Conversation with Ray Sherratt. Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

**Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast, Season 2025, Episode 9** In this episode, we chat with Ray Sherratt, a highly regarded rally engineer who is recognised for his significant contributions to motorsport engineering. Ray has worked across various engineering and motorsport-related fields. He is best known for his time at MCD, which later became Rally Engineering Development (RED), a renowned rally preparation outfit. Throughout his career, Sherratt has collaborated with numerous rally stars, including Roger Clark, Ari Vatanen, Malcolm Wilson, Mark Lovell, Louise Aiken-Walker, David Llewellin, Harri Toivonen, Didier Auriol, Jimmy and Colin McRae. His meticulous attention to detail and innovative engineering solutions have earned him a reputation as one of the top rally engineers in the industry.

MI Rally Academy Junior ERC Announcement. Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast, 2025 Season, episode 8.  
Craig Rahill, Keelan Grogan, Conor Smith and Ayrton Sherlock join us to talk about competing on the 2025 Junior ERC championship.  With support from the MI Rally Academy both crews will tackle all six rounds of the Junior ERC in Rally4 Peugeot 208s with the first round getting underway in Spain on April 4th.

In Conversation With Kieran O'Neill. Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast, 2025 Season, episode 7. In a conversation with Kieran O’Neill, the renowned Irish rallying legend and entertainer, we explore his early days in Belfast and his involvement with Group Motors Rallying. Kieran shares the story of how he began driving his famous Opel Kadett and recounts his many achievements, including finishing fourth overall in the 1994 Circuit of Ireland. He also discusses his role in helping young co-drivers like Paul Nagle and Chris Patterson on their journey to world success. Additionally, Kieran shares his experiences in Barbados and his efforts behind the scenes to bring the World Rally Championship (WRC) to Northern Ireland, along with many other insights throughout our conversation.

ERC Announcement Jon Armstrong & Shane Byrne. Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast. 2025 Season, episode 6.  
We catch up with Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy athletes. They will be joining the M-Sport World Rally Team in a Rally2 Fiesta to compete in all eight rounds of the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).  
Jon and Shane chat about the year ahead and how their preparations are going for round one of the ERC, which begins in Spain on the Rally Sierra Morena (3 – 6 April). 
Before that, an entry on the upcoming West Cork Rally kickstarts their season.

In Conversation with Dessie Wilson - Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast. 2025 Season, episode 5.  
We spoke to Dessie Wilson about his rallying career, which spans over five decades and includes winning the 1994 Circuit of Ireland alongside Stephen Finlay. Dessie's journey in rallying is remarkable—he has organised events, nurtured young talent, developed a numbered pace note system, navigated Bertie Fisher to his first stage rally victory and many more tales. He has an incredible story to share.

Krunching Gears - In Conversation With Dr Stephen Walsh & Sean Moriarty

**Krunching Gears: The Rally Podcast - 2025 Season, Episode 4** 
In this episode, we discuss Performance Psychology in Motorsport with Dr. Stephen Walsh and Sean Moriarty. Dr Walsh is a lecturer in psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University and an experienced motorbike racer. He combines his expertise in performance psychology with his motorsport knowledge to offer insights into the mental skills necessary for success in this challenging environment, where high levels of concentration and quick decision-making are vital. Sean Moriarty is one of Ireland's most seasoned motorsport journalists. He regularly contributes articles to various publications and manages the website Kerrymotorsportnews.com.

Krunching Gears - In Conversation With Becs Williams

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast 2025 Season Episode 3.  

On this week’s Krunching Gears, we catch up with Becs Williams to chat about the 2024 WRC season and look ahead to the 2025 season that gets underway in Monte Carlo.  
Becs is a distinguished commentator renowned for her extensive contributions to the World Rally and European Rally Championships. Beginning her WRC journey in 2002, she became a cornerstone of rally coverage, particularly as a key figure in the WRC All Live platform. With her profound knowledge of motorsport, engaging presentation style, and passion for rallying, Becs captivates audiences worldwide. She is renowned for her ability to seamlessly combine technical insights with storytelling, making rally action accessible and thrilling for fans.

Krunching Gears - In Conversation with Mats van den Brand

The 2025 Season of Krunching Gears, episode 2.  
In this edition of Krunching Gears—The Rally Podcast, we chat with Mats van den Brand, who specialises in building and preparing BMW M3 rally cars according to FIA historic rally specifications. 
Mats is based in the Netherlands, and both Mats and his beautifully prepared cars are becoming a regular feature of Irish rallying.  
The BMW M3 E30 is an iconic rally car developed by Prodrive. It first graced the stages in 1987 in the hands of Bernard Béguin. He went on to win the WRC round in Corsica that year. 
In Ireland, the M3 dominated the stages during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its agility made it a perfect match for Ireland’s tight, twisty roads and was notably campaigned by Bertie Fisher, Austin McHale and Andrew Nesbitt. 

Krunching Gears - The BRC F2 Special

The first podcast of the 2025 season from Krunching Gears – The Rally Podcast - is a special episode dedicated to the Formula 2 Kit Car era of the British Rally Championship with Mark Higgins, Neil Simpson, Stephen Whitford, Martin Rowe, Ryan Champion, Howard Davies, Trevor Agnew and Alister McRae. The British Rally Championship Formula 2 era (1994–1999) featured front-wheel-drive, naturally aspirated cars. It emphasized cost-effective competition, producing thrilling battles and nurturing future rally stars. Iconic manufacturers like Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, Seat and Vauxhall thrived, delivering innovation and unforgettable rallying moments. In October 2024, Donagh Kelly held a reunion at the Stables Motorsport Centre for those involved in the BRC Formula 2 days, which inspired this episode.

Krunching Gears - The Rally Podcast, Series 3, Episode 52

On this week’s Krunching Gears – The Rally Podcast – we speak to Rich Millener, Josh McErlean, Eoin Treacy, Sean McHugh and John Coyne about Josh & Eoin joining the M-Sport WRC Team to compete in the Rally1 Puma on all 14 rounds of the 2025 WRC.  Noelle Horan and Rosemary Walsh join us to chat about the recent ‘Women With Drive’ women in motorsport summit that took place recently in Indianapolis.