BALLYLICKEY’S Robert Cronin (18) is moving into the fast lane. He will switch from karting to saloon car racing in 2023 while his younger brother, Colin, will continue to compete in the Motorsport Ireland Iame X-30 Juniors. Their older brothers, Keith and Daniel, are closer to solidifying their plans.
Robert (18) told The Southern Star about his plan to compete in the Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB that will run alongside the 2023 British Touring Car Championship.
While he may still have some outings in the Motorsport Ireland Senior Rotax Max series in karting, the move to circuit racing will be his principal focus.
Racing with the Leicestershire-based Team Parker Racing outfit, Robert will race across six weekends in some of the top UK circuits, including Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone.
Next year’s series has been expanded from 15 to 18 races with each weekend comprising three races. Robert outlined how things unfolded.
‘I did the Porsche ‘Taster Day’ a while ago and we teamed up with Team Parker Racing. It’s a GT4 car, with around 425 brake horsepower,’ he said.
‘We had been speaking with Matt Griffin and he gave us some good advice and steered us in the right direction. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait. I’m on the simulator now and having a look at the different tracks.’
The 2023 dates are as follows: April 22nd/23rd – Donington Park; May 20st/21md – Snetterton; July 29th/30th – Croft; August 26th/27th – Donington Park; September 23rd/24th – Silverstone and October 7th/8th –Brands Hatch.
The youngest of the Cronin quartet, Colin has sorted his 2023 calendar that will consist of the Motorsport Ireland Iame X-30 Junior series and the Belgian Kart Championship.
Meanwhile, Daniel (Cronin) told The Southern Star of his plans even though they remain quite fluid. He has submitted an entry for the Boggeragh Rallysprint in Nadd that takes place over the festive season (December 29th). He explained why.
‘The car (VW Polo GTi R5) is in a gravel set-up at the moment and I have gravel tyres that are perfect after the last rallysprint I did in Laois last October,’ Daniel said.
‘They were the major factors in deciding to put in an entry and of course it’s always good to get seat time.’
On 2023, he added, ‘I still have to flesh that out; it will either be the National Rally Championship or the Forestry Championship, but not the Tarmac series which means I won’t be doing West Cork or Killarney.’ More importantly, he added, ‘It will also have to fit in with Keith’s plans and my other brothers, Robert and Colin.’ From Daniel’s perspective, the Triton Showers National series in 2023 looks good in terms of less travel with four rounds in Munster – Circuit of Kerry, Raven’s Rock, Clare and the Fastnet Rally. Daniel admitted that he gets great enjoyment out of following Keith, Robert and Colin.
‘I would be happy doing that as well,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Keith’s quest for a fifth and record-equalling British Rally Championship title is his most likely destination. However, nothing has been finalised and discussions with interested parties are still ongoing. The 2023 BRC series begins on March 11th with the Malcolm Wilson Rally in the Cumbrian forests. Along with rounds in Scotland, Belgium, Northern Ireland, and Wales, the seven-round series concludes on the final weekend of October.
