Motorsport enthusiasts in County Kerry have raised over €130,000 for local causes in the first six months of 2022.
Both Kerry Motor Club and Killarney and District Motor Club have organised various fundraisers this year.
On Friday last Kerry Motor Club and local World Rally Championship co-driver Paul Nagle presented two cheques totalling €40,000 to Recovery Haven Cancer charity in Tralee. following the club’s Déjà Vu event in May.
Déjà Vu Tralee was the flagship event in Kerry Motor Club’s year-long 50th-anniversary celebration.
The event attracted star names like Craig Breen, Kris Meeke and Nagle.
Over 150 cars, many of them rarely seen period rally cars, took part in a tour of classic West Kerry rally stages on May 28.
A gala dinner dance at the event’s headquarters, The Rose Hotel, and other associated fundraisers netted a total of €25,000 for the local charity.
Nagle came up with a one-off idea that raised funds for both Recovery Haven in Tralee and Fossa GAA club in Killarney.
The helmet that he used during the 2021 WRC season was signed by 21 of the sport’s biggest names including multiple World Rally Champions Sebastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb.
An auction for the helmet, during the gala dinner dance netted, a staggering €25,000, of which €15,000 was donated to the cancer charity and a further €10,000 which was given to Nagle’s home GAA club of Fossa during its ‘Night with Legends’ on Tuesday this week.
“I am delighted to be associated with Recovery Haven, every household is affected by cancer,” said Nagle who took time out of his busy WRC schedule to participate in the event.
“I am very privileged to do what I do as a co-driver in the World Rally Championship, and it is great to be able to give something back. Well done to Kerry Motor Club and Déjà Vu motorsport for organising such a great event and it was great to be a part of it.”
This €50,000 (€40,000 for Recovery Haven and €10,000 for Fossa GAA) was the latest in a series of events that raised money for worthy causes across the county.
In February Kerry Motor Club raised over €23,000 for the James Quinlan Recovery Fund. Mr Quinlan suffered a life-threatening illness in New York just before Christmas last year and the money raised at a car show in The Brandon Car Park in Tralee were used to fly him home and get the medical treatment he urgently needed in Ireland.
A few weeks later Killarney and District Motor Club donated the profits from its Castleisland Forestry Rally to the Irish Community Air Ambulance. A total of €58,293 was raised during that event.
Kerry-based motorcycle racers added a further €1506 to the Irish Community Air Ambulance fund by organising a slow motorbike race in Tarbert in June.
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Kerry Motorsport News 