Triton Showers National Championship Billy Coleman Award permutations
While the overall Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship deriver’s title may already be settled, two massive battles will be decided at next weekend’s rescheduled Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally.
Huge incentives are on the line in both Class 2 and Class 2A. In national terms, winning either class guarantees an automatic nomination for the prestigious Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Driver of the Year Award for age-eligible drivers. Crucially, because a Billy Coleman nomination does not carry over to a runner-up, taking the class title outright is the only way to secure that place.
Class 2 sees joint leaders Oran England and Danny Brady locked on 46 points each. England has already secured a Billy Coleman Award nomination earlier in the season, but the class title and the parallel Stellantis Cup competition remain to be settled. Brady holds a strong lead in the Stellantis Cup, where an all-expenses-paid rally outing in Hungary awaits the winner. If England is to snatch the Stellantis prize from Brady, he must win the class and hope at least one other Stellantis crew finishes between them.
For Brady, the situation is delicate. If he finishes second in Class 2 behind England, he could still win the Stellantis Cup, but he would lose out on the Class 2 National Championship title and its associated Billy Coleman nomination. With England already nominated, a second-place finish for Brady would mean the Class 2 nomination lapses entirely.
Four-Way Scramble for Class 2A Honours
Class 2A is equally tight, with just four points separating the top four competitors heading into the final round. David Travers leads the standings on 33 points, just one point ahead of Gemma Hallinan on 32. Hallinan is aiming to become the first female driver to earn a Billy Coleman nomination in many years.
The title fight is far from a two-car affair. Tied on 29 points behind the lead duo are Barry McGann, Oisin McShane, and James McShea. McGann is ineligible for the Billy Coleman Award due to age regulations, meaning if he wins the Class 2A title, he would deny both Travers and Hallinan a nomination. McShane also remains in strong contention for the class crown, while McShea has already earned a Billy Coleman nomination via the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series, though neither has submitted a Stonethrowers entry.
