Jyles Harding at home in Ardsallagh with his trophy and Nissan. Photo: Seamus Farrelly.

Driving belief as late mother inspires Jyles to rally victory

Young Jyles Harding knew he had the winning of the trophy in the final race of four at Mondello Park on Sunday.
The 16 year-old from Ardsallagh, Navan, was competing in the junior category of the Irish Rallycross championships on the tarmac and gravel track for the first time, in what he calls his ‘suped-up Nissan’.
“I just knew when those lights changed and I put the foot down, that I was going to win the final,” he said at his home in Ardsallagh this week. “When I was overtaking three of the others, I had the feeling.”
The day hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, as there was a bit of gearbox trouble earlier on. Jyles had won the first of the three heats before the final, but couldn’t get the gears in the next two heats, and finished second in each.
“But the mechanics got the gear linkages in the car sorted and we were ready to go in the final heat,” Jyles explains.
When the flashing red lights turned green, he put his foot to the floor, believing that the race was his.
He had another reason for believing it too – he wanted to prove it to his mother that he could. Sadly, she wasn’t there to see it in person.
At the end of last November, Janice Harding passed away after a short term illness, at the age of 47. She had encouraged her eldest son in his love of all things motor car and racing, and had bought the Nissan for him last summer. It had won last year’s championship, and by the time the Hardings took delivery of the car in December, it had taken on a much greater meaning.
“I wanted to do it for her, to prove something to her, I knew she was looking down on me,” Jyles says.
He grew up surrounded by cars, lorries, engines and mechanics, with his uncle James Foley operating a garage business beside the house, a name well known as a former All Ireland champion and Irish tarmac champion. Jyles got is first petrol go-kart at the age of eight, before graduating to quads and getting his first field car at 13.
He was always helping out in Foley’s yard, getting parts ready and helping get together alloy sets, and as a young teenager was driving his father, Eddie’s, lorries in the yard.
Two years ago, he took to the racing circuit when he started grass racing in Kildare, serving his time, so to speak, before moving onto the tarmac and gravel of tracks such as Mondello or Tynagh in Galway.
Competition cars must have a full roll cage fitted. The windscreen must be laminated or rigid plastic type. Two extra high mounted brake lights, towing eyes for breakdown, a dual circuit brake system, integrated seat and headrest, electric cut off switch, mud-flaps on all driven wheels, fire extinguisher and a full safety harness are all required. And in case you think it’s a Sunday drive, special clothing includes a crash helmet, fire proof overalls, and fire resistant boots.
Of course, there’s a lot of cost involved, and Jyles is lucky to have sponsors like Tagabin, Noone transport, Bowls Hire, Shopbodyshop direct, Ardsallagh Autos and Snap On, to help him along the way.
There are eight rounds of the championship run over Mondello and Tynagh, while there are also two trips to the Penbury track in Wales on the cards this year.
Jyles certainly impressed on his first day’s racing at Mondello at the weekend – the marshalls told him afterwards they hadn’t seen anyone winning like that on their first day of racing before. In the early days of the Irish championship, he’s leading the junior category and will be out again on 5th March in Mondello.
This young lad is ambitious – when he moves on from junior next year, he hopes to get behind the wheel of a Honda Civic or Mitsubishi, and down the road would love to try either for a World Rally Team or Formula 1.
“It would probably be rallying,” he says. “I’d love to see myself on a VW or Mitsubishi World Rally Team. It would be great to be good enough to be spotted by a talent scout.”
If he has the same belief he – and his mother – had last Sunday, then anything is possible.