New role for Paul Nagle as he switches to the organisational side of rallying
MOTORSPORT
Former World Rally Championship co-driver Paul Nagle will start his new career as an FIA Sporting Delegate and Observer on this weekend’s Rali Terras d’Aboboreira in Portugal.
Nagle retired from international competition at the end of the 2022 season.
He is Ireland’s most successful co-driver with five wins at World Rally Championship level alongside Tyrone’s Kris Meeke.
The Aghadoe man was a leading light in the late Craig Breen’s rise to international stardom and guided the Waterford man to several WRC podiums including a famous third place, behind multiple World Champions Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier, on the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally.
In Ireland, he has won almost every important rally, including all five Kerry-based events, and was crowned Irish Tarmac Rally Champion as Breen’s co-driver in 2019 when they dominated the domestic scene and took victories on events like the Rally of the Lakes, the Circuit of Ireland Rally, and the Galway International Rally,
Since calling time on his international career Nagle has taken a keen interest in the organisational side of the sport.
He has acted as deputy clerk of the course for several Killarney and District Motor Club’s events including the Rally of the Lakes, the Killarney Historic Rally and the Killarney Forestry Rally.
He has taken on similar roles on Kerry Motor Club events like the Circuit of Kerry and was the Tralee-based club’s steward for the Ballyfinnane Hillclimb last summer.
To qualify as an international steward, he has attended several training courses and was an on-event observer at the Mayo Rally in March where he had to touch on all aspects of the event to ensure it was being run in accordance with both sporting and safety regulations.
This weekend’s Portuguese event is the opening round of the FIA European Rally Trophy which is just one step below FIA European Rally Championship status. Indeed organisers of rallies included in the 2024 European Rally Trophy would be hopeful of getting their event included in the full European championship in years to come.
The 14-round series will visit countries like France, Bulgaria, and Croatia between now and the season finale in Germany in October.
The Ulster Rally is the only Irish rally included in the calendar but the Rallye San Remo is included too and Nagle has won both events with Breen and Meeke in the past.
On rallies, Nagle will be responsible for a “360-degree expert view” and will be expected to have a “see it, fix it” attitude mindset to help get organisers through the arduous task of running a major international rally.
Duties include the review of all event documentation, having a special focus on timekeeping and safety tracking resources, supporting the clerk of the course in the rally control room, and checking the event route within the safety convoy.
“It is a new beginning for me,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with the FIA. I have experience in three of the events, Ulster and San Remo and myself and Kris also competed in Maderia back in the IRC days in 2009.”
Nagle has also been appointed the Competitor Relations Officer for WRC Rally Latvia in July.
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