European rally legend Patrick Snijers has officially confirmed his entry into the Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally.

The Belgian champion will tackle the challenging Kerry stages behind the wheel of a BMW M3 E30.

Snijers, the 1994 European Rally Champion, is a seven-time Belgian champion with 44 European Rally Championship wins. The BMW M3 E30 he will drive in Killarney is the same model linked to his famous 1988 Manx Rally win, prepared by Cork-based specialists Fionnsport Automotive Technology.

Though no stranger to Ireland, Snijers’ he has never competed in a Motorsport Ireland sanctioned stage rally event.
A regular visitor recently, he took part in the non-competitive Rally Masters Ireland demonstration event in Killarney and the charity road run Déjà Vu Tralee in 2023.
His last competitive outing in Ireland was at the 2003 Lurgan Park Rally, an event he contested multiple times between 1996 and 2003.
He also competed in the 2002 Toshiba Rally, part of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship
The competition in Killarney will be strong, with WRC star Kris Meeke also confirmed to drive an M3, setting up a direct battle between two world-class drivers in near identical iconic machinery.
“I’m looking forward to participating this nice event in an iconic BMW M3
It’s always a warm welcome in Ireland with all the rally people,” said Snijers.

“My codriver Davy Thierie and me, we will try our very best to achieve a top result and enjoy the famous stages. We cannot wait to meet all the fans and to start the rally.”

Snijers’ entry is supported by local backing from the Irish rally community, including London-based companies Shannon Group and Torc Contract, both with links to Irish rally drivers. The technical preparation is provided by Fionnsport, alongside support from Ahern’s BMW of Castleisland.
Finbar O Connor of Fionnsport Automotive Technology said:  “We feel Patrick Snijers was the exact fit to debut our newly built BMW M3 hire car in Killarney. Anybody who has seen his Manx Rally performance on YouTube in a BMW would agree.”
Other sponsors include Eamon Lyons Snap On Tools; Dentfix; Eamon Long & Co; GM Plumbing; RDS Autos Cork; KD Cars and Keary’s BMW
The event features nine stages in the Kenmare region, including three runs over the famous Moll’s Gap stage on November 29. While based in Killarney, the central service park will be in Kenmare on Saturday. The ceremonial start takes place outside the Towers Hotel in Killarney on Friday night.
The rally’s final stage is a full-length competitive night run down Moll’s Gap in complete darkness.