Motorsport: McBride on track for Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award

The 22-year old earned the January-May nomintion

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025 - 07:13

Martin Walsh

Donegal's Kyle McBride is this season's first nomination for the 2025 Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award. The 22-year old from Clonmany scooped the January-May monthly grouping after notching up some impressive class wins during that time. Currently dovetailing the Irish and UK Stellantis Rally Cup and the Junior British Rally Championship in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, he secured class wins in the East Riding Stages Rally, the West Cork Rally, the Jim Clark Rally. In last weekend's O'Connell Group Cork '20' Rally he also netted another class win and finished thirteenth overall.

Indeed, the result in Cork has promoted him into a one-point lead over fellow Donegal driver Joe Kelly in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup IRE & UK that carries a top prize of a supported entry into five rounds of the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship. McBride, who is part of the MI Academy, is also very much in the hunt for the Junior BRC title.

Competing since he was just 12 years, McBride won the J1000 Irish Junior Forestry Championship title in 2019 and the academy section of the British Rally Championship in 2022. It's very much a family oriented operation as he commented, “I would like to thank my Dad and my whole family for the support and the BDM motorsport lads for helping run the car. I also have to thank each and every one of my sponsors, the people, who are on the car and also the people that aren’t on the car and also the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team." McBride is co-driven by Sligo's Darragh Mullen. Another monthly group (June-October) nominee will be announced in early November and along with the various Irish rally championship category winners and possibly two wildcards, will go through the interview process.

The winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award (that will be announced at Motorsport Ireland Awards on December 3) will receive a support package to contest rallies nationally and internationally in 2026. The Sport Ireland and Motorsport Ireland funded award is valued at €50,000. An additional support package, to a value of up to €50,000, will be available from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy as part of an agreed training and development programme designed to progress the winner's career.

Meanwhile, tomorrow's Premier Car Parts Dogleap rally cranks up the battle in the Brown and Brown Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge where Claudy's Jordan Hone (Ford Fiesta R5) heads the series after four rounds. This round is a home event for Hone, who will be aiming to extend his ten points advantage over Drumquin's Stephen Dickson (Ford Fiesta Rally2). The entry also includes Omagh’s Niall McCullagh (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), Strabane’s Niall Devine and Martin Cairns, both in VW Polo GTi R5's and Donegal's Aaron McLaughlin (Ford Fiesta Rally2). Four-time NI champion Jonny Greer (Ford Sierra Cosworth), Kyle White (Hyundai i20 Rally2) and Ashley Dickson, who will debut a Ford Fiesta Rally2, are also competing. Based at the Shackleton Centre in Ballykelly, the first of the day's six stages starts at 10.28am.

Finnish driver Kalle Rovanpera (25) is to quit the World Rally Championship at the end of the season to pursue other interests in motorsport. In an announcement yesterday he said, “This decision has not been an easy one, but it's one that I have been thinking about for a while. Having already achieved so much in rallying at this age, I started to think about what other possibilities I might have and what other challenges I would like to take on. It has been a tough decision, but it feels like the right one to pursue my next dreams and challenges."

The Irish Examiner understands that the Court of Enquiry that was due to be held earlier this week into matters pertaining to the Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes in Killarney and possibly other issues was postponed. It appears that a suitable date has yet to be found before it can proceed..

Red Bull Junior Team driver Derry's Fionn McLaughlin (17) will compete in next season's FIA Formula 3 Championship with the Hitech TGR outfit after the Magherafelt teenager clinched the British Formula 4 Championship title with the team at Brands Hatch last weekend.