Dalton’s NSW Rally title a fitting tribute to Craig Breen 

Irish born rally driver Richie Dalton’s superb maiden NSW Rally Championship title was a fitting tribute to the late WRC competitor and fellow countryman Craig Breen, with his #1 Toyota carrying a memorial livery throughout the season.

Dalton came from behind to take the NSW Rally Championship victory in Canberra, securing a maiden rallying title alongside experienced co-driver Dale Moscatt, and the following day he even received a phone call from Breen’s family.

The Irishman from Kilkenny is a self confessed WRC tragic, and during the season he sported a tribute livery to one of his idols, fellow Irishman Breen, who lost his life in pre-event testing for the WRC Rally Croatia in April. Written on the side of Dalton’s car is an important quote from the Waterford born driver saying simply, “Don’t forget to have fun.”

Dalton carried his tribute livery to Breen throughout his 2023 campaign. Image/main image: Wishart Media

It was only Dalton’s second ever full-time season having done the full ARC season in 2022, making his achievement all the more noteworthy considering he also missed the opening round, and also entered the event with a workplace injury which he had to overcome to even get behind the wheel on the Sunday.

Dalton took three victories for the year, with the Kilkenny born driver explaining what it meant to receive the heartfelt phone call from Breen’s family on the Monday morning to congratulate him.

“I got a call from Craig’s sister, Kellie, and herself and Craig’s parents Ray and Jackie said it was fantastic news to wake up to on a Monday morning, and that it brought a smile to their faces,” Dalton told AUTO ACTON.

“We grew up belonging to the same car club in Ireland, and I’ve carried his memory with that livery all year which they were really happy with, so knowing that it brought a smile to their faces…it’s really a heartwarming thing.”

Dalton preparing for the BEGE Rally in round two where he and Moscatt came out on top. Image: Wihart Media

Initially, it wasn’t the plan to do a full season, but momentum was on his side when he found himself sitting second in the championship after the Inaugural Bathurst event in Round 3.

“It was so pleasing to take the title. After missing the first round it wasn’t the plan to do the championship at all.

“We decided to run the second round at Batemans Bay as a tribute to Craig, and we did the livery up and we ended up winning the rally.

“Then the second round was Bathurst, which was supposed to be pace-noted because normally I wouldn’t do blind rally, and then it turned into a road-book event, and we keep the livery on and I really threw myself in the deep end, and we ended up getting a good result.

Dalton and Moscatt take it to the air in Canberra. Image: Wishart Media

“It just snowballed from there really. Then after that we took a win in Round 4 at Bega whixh was one of the best achievements of the year…to win a blind rally outright with no experience, I’m really proud of that.

“And at Canberra that was my seventh time doing the event, and we had 65-70 % of the pace-notes already. It’s an incredibly difficult rally, but we were confident that if we had a clean event that we could win the championship.”

The discomfort from his injury saw him finish third in Heat 1, and he struggled with the car set-up, spinning three times on the opening day.

Both Dalton and the car then got a work over on the Saturday night, with the driver getting ironed out by a chiropractor, and the Yaris having its lower speed damper settings softened, which tightened up the rear-end looseness from Heat 1.

He went on to win every stage on the Sunday, and in the final three ARC-only stages, he drove sensationally to secure ninth outright in the national competition.

The highly experienced Dale Moscatt was in integral part of Dalton’s push to the title. Image: Wishart Media

It’s a special story that all the way out in the bush of NSW on the other side of the world, Dalton was able to deliver such a sensational tribute to such a loved figure of world motorsport – and that it culminated in a championship is all the more fantastic.

Dalton admitted that even though he had devoutly followed the WRC championship from the age of five, he now finds it hard to watch the WRC since Breen’s passing.

And like many rally fans, his often hilarious interviews between stages will be sorely missed, as will his foot to the floor risk taking which spoke to the heart of what the World Rally Championship is really all about.

Craig Breen – 1990-2023

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