New Rally Talent Unearthed at Superdrive Scholarship Final

Posted: November 20, 2005 5:50 PM

The winner was decided after a full day of assessments including interviews, fitness and reaction tests, rally driving assessment and a press conference with RPM’s Alan Tyndall and Editor of Pacenotes Magazine, Simon Mooney.

Six judges including Managing Director of Superdrive and 2004 Mitsubishi UK works driver, Brendan Crealey, 2000 Rally Scholarship winner and Superdrive instructor David Graham, experienced competitor and instructor Jim Crozier, motorsport fitness specialist, Alan Lucas, Alan Tyndall and Simon Mooney voted 18 year-old Paul as the winner.

Paul said, ‘I’m extremely excited to be given this opportunity to drive competitively for Superdrive.

‘The competition was really tough today but the real test will be on event at Kirkistown next year. I’m really looking forward to the rally.

Paul will also gain his first MSA rally licence and one-to-one tuition with Managing Director of Superdrive, Brendan Crealey to prepare him for the national rally round.

Crealey said,
‘The standard of the competition today was extremely high and to get to the final is an enormous achievement for anyone.

‘But a rally champion today needs much more than driving talent. The winner today needed to have the desire to win and the confidence to present themselves to a team manager and to the media. Paul was clearly the winner,‘ he said.

Novice rally drivers from all over Ireland have been competing throughout the year to gain a place in the prestigious Superdrive Rally Scholarship Final.

The Superdrive Rally Scholarship is designed to give novice drivers that participate in any of the Superdrive rally experiences a chance to develop their rally skills and to prove they have what it takes to be a competitive rally driver.

Superdrive’s experienced instructors nominate drivers to compete in a semi-final held once a month. The winners from the semi-finals then go through to the Final at the end of the year to compete for the ultimate prize of a competitive drive in a Group N Mitsubishi Evo.

The ten finalists from all over Ireland gained a place in the final from more than 1000 drivers and fifty semi finalists throughout the year.

For more information about the Rally Scholarship program contact Superdrive on 028 3885 2545 / 048 3885 2545.

Results:
Winner: Paul Quinn — Dungannon, Co Tyrone

Superdrive Rally Scholarship Finalists:
Gary Thompson — Antrim, Co Antrim
Gareth Marshal — Tynan, Co Armagh
Patrick Donnelly— Mayobridge, Co Down
Michael McShane — Newry, Co Down
Matthew Doherty — Finaghy, Belfast
Conor Campbell — Rostrevor
Peter Cardwell — Ballinderry, Co Antrim
Andy O’Donnell— Co Londonderry
Kerri Campbell— Belfast, Co Antrim

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15/11/05
Rally Scholarship Finalists set to Battle it out at Superdrive
Novice rally drivers from all over Ireland have been competing throughout the year to gain a place in the prestigious Superdrive Rally Scholarship Final this Friday 18th November 2005 at the Portadown based motorsports centre.

The Superdrive Rally Scholarship is designed to give novice drivers that participate in any of the Superdrive rally experiences a chance to develop their rally skills and to prove they have what it takes to be a competitive rally driver.

The Superdrive Rally Scholarship Final Champion will win a fully supported drive valued at more than £5000 in the Team Superdrive Mitsubishi Evolution in the first round of the 2006 Northern Ireland Rally Championship at Kirkistown in February. The winner also gains their first MSA rally licence and one-to-one tuition with the 2004 Mitsubishi UK works driver and Managing Director of Superdrive, Brendan Crealey to prepare them for the national rally round.

Brendan Crealey said,
“This is going to be an exciting day for the ten drivers. I started my rallying career with a similar competition. I’m sure we are going to unearth a star of the future at Superdrive on Friday.”

The ten competitors have gained a place in the final from more than 1000 drivers. Superdrive’s experienced instructors nominate drivers throughout the year to compete in a semi-final held once a month. The winners from the semi-finals then go through to the final at the end of the year to compete for the ultimate prize.

Assessments to find the winner include an interview with Brendan Crealey, a fitness and reaction test, rally driving assessment in Superdrive’s MKII Escort RS2000’s and a post-rally press conference with RPM’s Plum Tyndall and Pacenotes Editor Simon Mooney.

Past Superdrive Scholarship winners include Superdrive Instructor Davy Graham (2000), the youngest British Association of Rally Schools (BARS) Instructor in the UK and Colin Britton (2001) who recently achieved third in the Peugeot 206 Cup, one of the most competitive one make championships in the UK.

Superdrive Motorsports Centre, Northern Ireland’s premier motorsports activity centre, offers gift vouchers and bookings for rally courses, driving ex-competition MKII Escorts and Mitsubishi Evos with experienced instructors who are all current competitors. Superdrive offers exciting corporate activity and team building days including rallying, karting, paintball, archery and clay pigeon shooting. Superdrive also runs karting events for children and adults all year round.

2005 Superdrive Rally Scholarship Finalists:
Gary Thompson — Antrim
Gareth Marshal — Tynan, Co Armagh
Paul Quinn — Dungannon
Patrick Donnelly— Mayobridge, Co Down
Michael McShane — Newry
Matthew Doherty — Finaghy, Belfast
Conor Campbell — Belfast
Peter Cardwell — Ballinderry, Co Antrim
Andy O’Donnell— Londonderry
Kerri Campbell— Belfast