What's the news?
The Irish rallying world was taken by surprise this morning, with the announcement that Eugene Donnelly, one of the sport's all-time superstars, is returning to active competition. Eugene will drive a Hyundai i20 R5 with backing from MRF Tyres, and is hoping to develop the Indian brand's rubber into a competitive choice for our uniquely demanding stages. The Hyundai Motorsport-built car will be run by preparation firm McGeehan Motorsport, a team synonymous with Eugene's past successes.
Unveiled at the Autosport International show in Birmingham earlier today, the i20 is eligible to compete for outright honours in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. However, Eugene is adamant that he will not be challenging for wins straight away, commenting: "This is a three-year development program for the team, and if I feel we are not ready for the West Cork Rally we will give it a miss. I realistically don't expect to have the pace of current drivers such as Sam Moffett, and it's not my intention to go out and try to win. If I can get the car and tyres up a certain level of competitiveness, and I feel that I can't achieve any more, I'd be more than happy to step out and give a young driver a chance. This is more about creating a winning team with Hyundai and MRF Tyres, and the i20 could be a vehicle to help the next generation of rally driver to get to the top."
Eugene dominated Irish rallying for a number of years, racking up five Irish Tarmac titles, as well as National, Forestry and Northern Ireland crowns. At a time when the sport in this country is facing uncertainty, it's an extremely welcome boost for fans. Time to dust off those old Donnelly Motorsport jackets...