Conor Mohan was in Greece last week, taking part in the latest round of the 2025 Junior World Rally Championship, EKO Acropolis Rally 2025. Conor and his driver Eamonn Kelly, finished the very demanding event in 5th place overall. Demanding, doesn’t just describe the events rocky surface, because the temperature was up on 42°C, before factoring in the in-car temperature and the wearing of a three-piece fire suit. The competitive part of the event began on Thursday with a Super Special Stage in Athans. On the opening Super Special, Conor and Eamonn finished a fantastic 3rd fastest, a minuscule nine tenths of a second in arrears of the fastest. They were in 3rd position overall, heading into the 11.58kms of SS7 ‘Elatia’, when the lads were unfortunately forced into retirement. On the extremely rough surface of ‘Elatia’, a suspension component broke onboard their Rally3 Ford Fiesta, leaving the lads with no option but to immediately retire. The M-Sport Poland mechanics were able to get the car repaired, so Conor and Eamonn were able to rejoin the event on Saturday morning. The retirement the previous evening had dropped them from 3rd overall, all the way down to 9th at the beginning of Saturday. The lads had a positive opening loop of stages on Saturday morning. But unfortunately, they would be hampered on the opening stage of the repeat loop, when they picked up a puncture just after the start of SS12, and with the stage being almost 20km in length, they had no choice but stop and change the tyre. Not long after replacing the wheel, the extremely rough gravel/rocky road surface, broke a brake disc and cylinder. Fortunately for the pair, they were able to do a temporary repair job, but that didn’t prevent them from having to complete SS13 without any brakes at all.
There was no let up in the ‘Rally of the Gods’ bad luck on Sunday however, as on the opening stage of that final day, the lads picked up yet another puncture. Despite the events awful bad luck, the lads still remain upbeat and are full steam ahead for the next event in the world championship, ‘Secto Rally Finland’, which takes place at the end of July, beginning of August.
