What's the news?
After a tough day of interviews for all candidates, three finalists have been announced for the Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award. In alphabetical order, Derry's Callum Devine, Donegal man Kevin Eves and Jonny Treanor from Monaghan emerged as the leading trio, each of whom have had very impressive campaigns in various championships this year.
With eight nominations throughout the year, the Billy Coleman award aims to provide a boost to the aspirations of up-and-coming young drivers at a crucial stage of their career, with a prize valued at €50,000. Eligibility for the award requires candidates to be aged 26 or under, and to compete under a Motorsport Ireland licence. This year's other nominees included Brian Brady, Michael Boyle, Gary Kiernan, Jenna McCann and John O'Sullivan, and despite their not making the final cut, all have very promising futures ahead.
The panel consisted of representatives from different spheres of rallying including organisation, competition, media and PR, as well as an official from Sport Ireland. A spokesman for the Motorsport Ireland judging panel commented: "All those interviewed deserved to be there and separating the drivers into a final three from such a pool of young talent was not an easy task. One thing that is certain is that some of those that narrowly missed out this year will be in front of the judging panel again."
Previous recipients of the award include Keith Cronin, Rob Duggan and Craig Breen, and this year's winner will be crowned at the Beta Irish Motorsport Awards on December 5th. The victorious individual will be an ambassador for motorsport in this country, and hopefully influence more young people to get involved in the sport, as well as conveying the importance of road safety to all.