Young Rally Driver of the Year finalists are announced

Motorsport Ireland has announced the seven nominees for this year’s Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award.

The nominees comprise the five bi-monthly winners from January-February through to September-October along with one wildcard, the highest placed driver from the Valvoline National Forestry Championship and finally the winner of the Junior category in the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

Josh Moffett from Monaghan was the first name on the list as he secured the January-February nomination for his results in the Galway International Rally and the opening round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship at Birr.

The March-April nomination went to Galway driver Dean Raftery, who won the Junior class in both the Munster and Carrick-on-Suir rounds of the Valvoline National Forestry Championship, and went on to become the Junior Forestry Champion.

In May-June, the outstanding young rally driver was another Monaghan man, Stephen Wright. The 23-year-old won the Group N Production Car class in both the Donegal International Rally and round 3 of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, the Cavan Stages Rally.

Mayo driver David Carney was the nominee for July-August, with a class win in the Tipperary Stonethrowers round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship and ninth place overall in Rally NI, the British Rally Championship section of the Ulster International Rally.

The final two-monthly selection was Gary Kiernan from Cavan, thanks to class wins in Clare, Donegal and Skibbereen during September-October, which clinched outright victory in the Border Championship and a class win in the Dunlop National series.

The wildcard for the award was given to Donegal’s Kevin Eves who had impressive results during the year in both tarmac and forestry rallies.

The line-up of seven nominees is completed by Kerry’s Robert Duggan, who won the Junior category of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

All seven nominees will be interviewed by an independent panel with the list being narrowed to three finalists. The winner of this year’s Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year will then be announced at the Motorsport Ireland Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards on December 10.

The winner will receive €50,000 worth of support to compete in stage rallies nationally and internationally in 2014. The two runners up will receive free entry into a number of Motorsport Ireland permitted events during 2014. All three finalists will also receive the benefit of advice and assistance from Tom Walsh, Co-ordinator for the Billy Coleman Award. Tom has been involved in the management and mentoring of young rally drivers in International competition for many years and has also acted as Clerk of the Course for Rally Ireland.