Eamonn Kelly has been nominated for this year’s Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver Award for the opening period of January to May. 

The 23-year-old has been contesting the Junior British Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta Rally4 for the last two years while supplementing his campaign with selected domestic outings in a Volkswagen Polo GTi R5. From his first class win at the 2017 Donegal Harvest Rally to winning the 2022 Junior British Rally Championship with two rounds to spare, the Donegal native has shown a consistent record of strong performances.
 

This year’s Billy Coleman Award will see 2 qualifiers selected from the following monthly groupings; January-May, June-October. These nominees will be joined by the highest placed eligible drivers from the Junior sections in the Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship and the Motorsport Ireland National Forestry Championship, the highest placed eligible drivers in the dual surface Motorsport Ireland J1600 and JR2 Junior Rally Series as well as a wildcard selection, meaning that up to 7 drivers may be nominated for the award in 2022.
 

The winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award will receive €100,000 worth of support to contest rallies nationally and internationally in 2023. Coupled with Sport Ireland and Motorsport Ireland’s €50,000 investment, a further €50,000 has been pledged by the Team Ireland Foundation.