Focus shifts to rebuild after WA crash
- Shamrock Motorsport
- May 29
- 2 min read
Richie Dalton and co-driver Mac Kierans have safely walked away from a rollover at the Forest Rally in Western Australia.
The crash occurred during Heat 1's Power Stage at the second round of the 2026 Australian Rally Championship, held on the state’s notorious ball bearing gravel roads.
Prior to the off-road excursion, the Irish duo was delivering a strong performance in their championship-winning Toyota GR Yaris AP4.
They had comfortably navigated the first five stages and were sitting fifth outright, well on track for an impressive result.
The pair were caught out, though, when the GR Yaris went wide on a challenging left-hander over a crest, clipping a bank and rolling the car.
Both Dalton and Kierans were able to exit the vehicle safely, though the impact left them slightly battered and bruised.
"It’s my first major crash in 13 years of rallying," Dalton said afterwards. "I’ve been fortunate to be fair, but this hurts.
"Mac and myself are a bit sore, but we are lucky to walk away like we did."
The GR Yaris AP4 sustained structural damage during the rollover, including impacts to the roll cage that will require a thorough rebuild at Bates Motorsport in Canberra.
"I'm so grateful to Bates Motorsport for building such a safe and strong car," Dalton noted, praising the engineering integrity of the vehicle.
The team is now assessing the required repairs ahead of Dalton's next scheduled event, with the aim of returning to the gravel at June’s Narooma Forest Rally on the south coast of New South Wales.
That event serves as a crucial round of the New South Wales Rally Championship, a series proudly supported by Dalton's own business, Shamrock Haulage, as the naming rights sponsor.
"I’m hoping Neal (Bates) can get it repaired for Narooma," Dalton added.
"But I won’t know if it can be done until they assess it when the car returns to their workshop."
Dalton currently leads the 2026 NSW Rally Championship after winning the opening round of the series at Bathurst in March.
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