Motorsport Ireland vice-president asked to leave hot rod racing information meeting 

Cork’s Kieran Coleman, vice-president of Motorsport Ireland and chair of the Motorsport Ireland Kart Commission and Technical Commission. Pic: Martin Walsh.

Three members of Motorsport Ireland’s technical commission including Cork’s Kieran Coleman, who is also the vice-president of Motorsport Ireland were asked to leave an information evening in Dungarvan on Saturday. 

The meeting was called by the organisers of hot rod racing at the Waterford Raceway, who according to its website had secured insurance for the 2023 season in association with Motorsport Ireland. 

The website further stated that MI officials would be in attendance and that the meeting was open to all past, present and future members. It appears that Mr. Coleman arrived at the venue (Lawlor’s Hotel in Dungarvan) and duly signed a register as did his colleagues. Within a few minutes, they were approached by a member of the Waterford Raceway committee and asked to leave. 

Commenting, Mr. Coleman said, “I complied with the request as did my colleagues. I was attending as an interested observer in my role as chairman of MI’s technical commission. My colleagues were there in a similar fashion.” 

It has also emerged that some other individuals were also asked to leave.

At the time of going to press, a number of attempts to contact the Waterford Raceway organisers and also Aiden Harper, president of Motorsport Ireland proved unsuccessful. Meanwhile, some Motorsport Ireland affiliated clubs are dismayed why their governing body has got involved in what is seen within their organisation as “unlicensed motorsport” while some competitors are concerned that it could jeopardise their sport. 

Further to the information evening, that was addressed by two MI officials, it appears that the Waterford Raceway will host five one-day and five two-day events in 2023 with no real change to their current rules and regulations. The requirement that those participating in the aforementioned events will need a Motorsport Ireland licence could not be verified.

Meanwhile, Donegal’s Eamonn Kelly, the current Billy Coleman award winner has re-jigged his plans for this season. 

Originally, he was concentrating on competing in the British Rally Championship in a VW Polo GTi R5 and one or two European rounds of the WRC Junior Rally series. Instead Kelly (24) will tackle the Junior WRC series beginning with next month’s Rally Sweden where he will steer a Ford Fiesta Rally3 in the five-round series, the car will be maintained by M-Sport Poland. 

“Junior WRC will be a massive step up considering I have never rallied outside Ireland or the UK before. I believe it is the best place for me to go to further myself and my rallying career. It is a hugely exciting challenge, I can’t wait.” 

He added: “The past two years of my rally career have been very positive with good success so I feel the time is right to make a jump like this.” 

As a shakedown for Sweden, Kelly has entered the Fiesta Rally3 in this weekend’s Arctic Lapland Rally and will have three time British Rally champion Matt Edwards as his co-driver.