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Breen’s top five ERC moments

Craig Breen will compete on the second round of the FIA European Rally Championship next month, aiming to defend his Circuit of Ireland crown. Here are five of his best moments from his time in the ERC.

1: A flying start in Latvia
Breen starred on his maiden appearance in the ERC, on the first Rally Liepāja in February 2013. Driving for the Peugeot Rally Academy - as he would for the next three seasons - he won the first five snow-covered stages. He would finish up second to turbocharged Finn Jari Ketomaa, but had shown his speed.

2: His first ERC win - with a brand new car
His Peugeot 207 S2000 was replaced by the brand new R5-specification 208 T16 in time for his second showing of 2014, the Acropolis Rally. While team-mate Kevin Abbring's car broke while he was leading, Breen's proved more robust to give what he described at the time as the biggest moment of his career.

3: Victory at last on snow and ice
Breen had been made to settle for second and then third on his first two trips to Latvia but finally got the win in 2015. While rivals Alexey Lukyanuk and Kajetan Kajetanowicz got caught out early on, Breen kept his car on the road to finish up a minute and 40 seconds ahead of the rest.

4: A dream win on the Circuit of Ireland
He didn't have to wait long for his next win - and this one was particularly special. He was pushed hard on the lanes of Northern Ireland and struggled with a technical problem on his car throughout, but held on to secure an emotional victory. "Winning the Circuit of Ireland means more than anything else in the world to me," he said.

5: Leading in Ypres on the hunt for four
After his Circuit success, Breen claimed a third ERC win on the bounce when he was victorious in the Azores. Making it four in a row was never going to be easy in Ypres up against local legend Freddy Loix, but he led for large portions of the Belgian classic before a rally-ending off into a field.

Zdroj: fiaerc.com