HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR FEMALE RALLYING AS GEMMA HALLINAN ENTERS MAYO RALLY

HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR FEMALE RALLYING AS GEMMA HALLINAN ENTERS MAYO RALLY
The upcoming West Tyre Mayo Rally, based at the Westport Woods Hotel and Spa, will mark a significant moment in Irish motorsport history as 17-year-old Gemma Hallinan becomes the first female driver to compete under a specific set of Motorsport Ireland regulations for young competitors.
Following her debut in a Ford Fiesta R2T at the recent Yeats Ridge Forest Rally in Sligo, the Craughwell native is continuing her transition from the Junior 1000 category to closed-road tarmac rallying.
Hallinan is a graduate of the Junior 1000 class, which was originally designed for drivers aged 14 to 17 to compete on forestry events.
Under recent rule changes by Motorsport Ireland, experienced Junior 1000 graduates who are 16 or older are now permitted to compete on closed-road special stages.
Because Gemma holds a provisional license and is under the age required for a full IRDS insurance permit, specific procedures must be followed throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, the road sections between the competitive special stages must be driven by an experienced co-driver rather than the driver.
For the Mayo event, Kevin Duggan will occupy the co-driver’s seat and take over driving duties on the public roads to ensure full compliance with the regulations.
This mirrors the approach recently seen with other young drivers like Osian McShane, who, last year, became the youngest driver to utilise this pathway.
A major distinction for the Mayo Rally is the opportunity for reconnaissance. While forest rallies typically rely on third-party supplied notes and DVD reviews, the Mayo event allows crews to drive the route on Saturday.
Because Gemma is accompanied by a full license holder, she is permitted to drive the recce car on public roads while displaying “L” plates.
This allows her to create and verify her own pace notes alongside Kevin, providing invaluable experience in reading the terrain firsthand before the main event on Sunday.

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