O’Connor becomes the latest Billy Coleman Award nominee

Twenty-two-year-old Limerick Institute of Technology student, Kevin O’Connor has been selected as the March/April nominee for the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award.

The Askeaton native took class wins on the West Cork Rally, the Circuit of Ireland Rally and was second in class on the Killarney International Rally of the Lakes.

O’Connor is the second nominee for the 2012 award and he will be joined by previous bi-monthly winner, Daniel McKenna along with three other bi-monthly winners, the winner of Junior Championship within the Dunlop National Championship, the highest placed eligible driver from the Valvoline National Forestry Championship and a wildcard selection.

The eight nominees will be interviewed later in the year and the group will then be whittled down to three from which the winner will be chosen.

The winner will receive €50,000 worth of support to compete in both national and international rallies in 2013 along with the tuition of Billy Coleman co-ordinator, Tom Walsh.

O’Connor plans to compete in the remainder of the 2012 Citroen Racing Trophy Ireland series and has set next season’s British Rally Championship and the 2014 WRC Academy as his long-term objectives. Previously, he was a finalist for the Billy Coleman Award in 2009 and in 2010, he also finished runner-up in the Junior section of the 2010 Dunlop National Rally Championship.

O’Connor said: “I’m delighted, it is great to be mentioned in the same category as Daniel McKenna (who was the January/February selection). For the moment, I just want to concentrate on the remainder of the Citroen series, although I am leading by 40 points, there is a long way to go and in addition, the last round has bonus points.”