Chris Armstrong has been nominated for this year’s Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver Award for his performances in January and February.

The 24 year-old from Virginia, Co Cavan, drove his Ford Escort to a class win and an excellent seventh place overall in the Birr Stages Rally last month, the opening round of the Triton Showers National Championship. He was also the first two wheel drive car home, behind six much more powerful World Rally Cars.

Chris began rallying in 2009, and improved steadily to score his first overall win in the 2013 Midland Rally at Roscommon. He repeated this feat in the GSMC Rally last October, and won the Modified section of the Killarney Historic Rally in December.

He intends to contest the National Championship this year, as well as tackling some Forestry Rallies to gain experience on gravel surfaces, as he would like to compete in the 2016 British Rally Championship, which consists mainly of this type of event.

Chris recently completed an apprenticeship in mechanical and maintenance technology with Dublin Aerospace and has set up a business hiring barriers and equipment. His principal sponsors are Wilton Waste Recycling, Leo Forde Water Services, CA Event Hire, Millbrook Motors (Oldcastle), Corneen Motorsport Engines, Crozier Motorsport, Gordon Automotive, skellysbandb.com, and Valerie’s Clothes Care.

The winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award receives €50,000 worth of support to contest stage rallies nationally & internationally in 2016 along with the support of Billy Coleman co-ordinator, Tom Walsh, while the two runners-up will receive free entries into a number of MI permitted events in 2016, along with co-ordinator support.

Five bi-monthly winners are selected from January-February, through to September-October, joined by the winner of the Junior Championship in the Triton Showers National series, the winner of the Junior category in the Valvoline National Forestry Championship, and a wildcard selection, as the award finalists.