RALLY stars Sam Touzel and Max Freeman have commenced their 2026 season in style, making a late surge in this year’s Corrib Oil Galway International Rally to land a top-ten finish.
With the Jerseyman Touzel now stepping up to compete in the European circuit, the ninth place finish in his debut at Galway has made for a great start, showing he’s a force to be reckoned with on the continental stage.
“The rally went amazing, the atmosphere and support was great, the organisers were brilliant and we can’t wait to return to Ireland for more rallying throughout the season,” said Touzel.
Touzel and Freeman’s road to ninth overall
Following a hugely successful 2025, this event saw Touzel and Freeman make a huge step up, as this marked their first time competing in the European Rally Championship.
The opening loop saw them struggle to properly settle and find a good rhythm, as two of the three stages ended up as red-flagged following incidents. Despite the dynamic duo ending up outside the top 10, at 12th overall, they were only 14 seconds off the overall podium.
The next three stages remained consistent for the Caesarean, but he dropped one spot to 13th overall. But, spirits were still high, as they kept on holding their own against the local competition.
Day one’s final three stages remained pretty much on par, but they slipped down one more spot to finish the opening day at 14th overall. The ever-changing grip and mixed road conditions presenting plenty of challenges for the pair.
“The tarmac up there was very unpredictable – one minute it was very grippy, the next there was no grip at all. We don’t have any tarmac like that in Jersey, so I just had to adjust and adapt as quickly as possible,” said Touzel.
Following on from a consistent day one, Touzel and Freeman didn’t hesitate to showcase their intent at the beginning of day two, as they stormed out of the blocks to begin their pursuit of the top 10.
After placing 11th in the opening stage with a time of 6m 1.1s to climb up to 12th, Touzel and Freeman only continued their upward trajectory, placing seventh and first in the subsequent two stages to secure their places in the top 10.
From there on out, the Jersey duo showed no signs of slowing down in the final three stages, maintaining their electrifying pace. SS14 bore witness to some of the most riveting action of the day, as Touzel hit his highest speed of the entire rally at 120.4 km/h.
The Jerseyman finished the final stage at ninth overall, ending a strong outing which saw him climb a whopping five places on the leaderboard in just six stages.
“I’m raring to go”
“My experience in Galway honestly trumped all expectations – we aimed to finish within the top 20. So, to achieve a top 10 finish in our first time is just unbelievable,” Touzel exclaimed.
“It’s really got me excited for the rest of the year as I could have found a lot more speed out there, so we just have to keep pushing on.”
2026 is going to be a huge year for the Caesarean, as Sam Touzel and Max Freeman will be competing against some of the fastest guys on tarmac in the European Rally Championships, marking a big step up in their careers.
“This year I’m going to be competing against Europe’s fastest guys on tarmac, these are top-tier guys who I’ve looked up to and the only faster drivers are all at the World level – which is where I’m hoping to get to,” Touzel continued.
“I’m super excited to be taking on all these new challenges, I’m ecstatic really as it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. The step up is all in the preparation, at this level you have to eat, sleep, breathe rallying, and there’s limitless opportunities.
“We’re definitely looking to improve and hone in on our skills. We wouldn’t be this far if we didn’t have the pace, so we’re excited to go into this window of opportunity.”
Touzel shared his goals for the year, adding: “We’re very excited to take on these challenges and I’m raring to go, the goal for us is to compete and aim for the top 10. However, we do also want to enjoy the whole process, as not many people get to do this.
“We want to say a big thank-you to all our sponsors and all the support we get in Jersey, we’re always trying to put Jersey on the map each race.
“That includes our sponsors The Trade Centre UK, The Trade Centre Wales, Germbusters Limited, Michelin, CC Fixings, AAL Recycling, Ace Engineering, BLD Limited, Smart Scaffolding and L&P Motors for their continued support.”
To follow Touzel’s journey, check out either the Facebook page, Sam Touzel Rallying, or watch all the vlogs on his YouTube channel, SamTouzelRallying.
