Mooncoin’s Brennan makes Rally Driver of the Year shortlist

Kilkenny driver Jack Brennan has been shortlisted for the Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award.

Motorsport Ireland, the sport’s governing body released the names of the final three nominations on Monday evening.

Brennan has secured a nomination for the Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award for the second year in a row.

The 19-year-old from Mooncoin secured his nomination after taking Class 5 honours in the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series in his Renault Clio Rally 5.

Since the conclusion of that championship, he upgraded to a Peugeot 208 Rally 4 and raised eyebrows with a standout performance on the recent Cambrian Rally where he won the Rally 4 class.

“I was delighted to get the phone call on Monday. It is great to be recognised as one of the top three young drivers in the country,” he said.

“We put in a lot of hard work during the year and all the hard work by the people around me reflects in this nomination.”

“We have a nervous few days ahead of us, best of luck to all other nominees too.”

The other three finalists are Keelan Grogan (22, Co. Leitrim), and Craig Rahill (19, Co. Cavan).

The winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award will be announced at the Motorsport Ireland Champion of Irish Motorsport Awards in Dublin on December 6.

All seven nominees faced a rigorous selection process which included interviews from a panel of judges comprising representatives from Irish motorsport and the media.

Aiden Harper, President of Motorsport Ireland, said: “All the nominees for the Billy Coleman Award were of an outstanding calibre this year – and Jack, Keelan, and Craig, are thoroughly deserving finalists.

“Importantly, all seven nominees will get the opportunity to further develop their talent as part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, which bodes well for the future of Irish rallying on domestic and international fronts.

“I would like to recognise the efforts of [Academy co-ordinator ] Sean McHugh and [founder and patron] John Coyne for all their work on developing the Academy. It is a fantastic platform for young drivers to aim for.”

The winner will receive €100,000 worth of support to contest rallies nationally and internationally in 2024.

Coupled with Sport Ireland and Motorsport Ireland’s €50,000 investment, a further €50,000 has been pledged by the Team Ireland Foundation.

Both award runners-up will receive support to compete in stage rallies at home and abroad up to an amount of €15,000 each.