LONDON IRISH MOTOR CLUB LAUNCH NIGHT - 15 Jul 06

Posted: July 13, 2006 8:32 AM

The official launch is scheduled for Saturday July 15th at the Bell House Hotel, Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire is nearly a sell out – to date close on 300 tickets have been sold. In addition to the star-studded line-up, representatives from many British and Irish Motor clubs have confirmed their attendance.

The event kicks off at 5pm in the grounds of the hotel. Here the club will host a display of exotic motorsport vehicles covering all branches of the sport. Expect to see a fleet of state of the art World Rally cars lined up beside some of the finest Clubman rally cars in the country. Further vehicles include rallycross cars, racing cars and hillclimb and sprint competition vehicles. Some of the highlights include Irish Tarmac champion Eugene Donnelly’s Toyota Corolla, an original Ford RS200 group B car and some British Super Bike championship motorcycles.

After the display the action moves inside to the function hall of the Bell House Hotel. The indoor entertainment will start with an on-stage forum where several of the night’s dignitaries will speak about their life in motorsport. A simultaneous fund raising raffle will take place offering such prizes as signed Chelsea F.C football, rally car models, motorsport books and a whole range of motoring memorabilia.

There are three separate forums planned for the evening, covering various aspects of motorsport including rallying, racing, and rallycross. In between the guest band will take to the stage to entertain the large gathering of celebrities and motorsport enthusiasts. At around 9pm the action will really heat up – an auction to raise funds for the new club will take centre stage and with Andrew Nesbitt as auctioneer, bids will be taken for exciting items like a helicopter ride over the Thames and rally driving tuition from Andrew Nesbitt, Kenny McKinstry and Seamus Donnelly. This is just a small sample of the unique array of auction items available on the night. The full list can be viewed on www.londonirishmotorclub.com

One of the highlights of the auction is an open day ticket to visit the Prodrive factory in Banbury. All proceeds from this will go to the Oxford Children’s Hospital charity. A reserve price of £300 has been put on the Prodrive ticket, meaning that £300 is the very minimum that will be raised for this worthy cause.

“The primary reason for the launch night is to raise money for the fledging club but we are delighted to be supporting the Oxford Children’s hospital too. We are a new organisation and we are keen to play a positive role in the community. Supporting the Children’s Hospital is testament to this,” says club vice-chairman Willie Woods.

Tickets, at £20.00 are still available from committee members
(1) Mickey Smith 07903 500237
(2) Willie Woods 07949 600175

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Calling all Irish Motor Clubs
The London Irish Motor Club would like to have at least two representatives from each motor club in Ireland and our official launch night- from both North and South.

So far members of Clare, Munster, Kerry, Killarney, Donegal, and Castle Motor clubs,have confirmed their attendance at the launch but we would like to hear from every club in the country - tickets are only £20 and are available from commitee members listed in the article below...

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Launch Night details
From humble beginning less than four months ago, interest in the London Irish Motor Club is now at an unprecedented level. The list of attendees for the clubs official launch night, scheduled for July 15th now reads like a who’s who of Irish and British motorsport. The organising committee behind the club have worked tirelessly over the last number of weeks and now their efforts are about to come to fruition.

A static display of competition vehicles will open the evening’s proceedings – and what a line up it is. Several World Rally cars including reigning Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly’s Corolla WRC, a host of potent Escorts and some of the country's finest rally cross and racing cars are just some of the vehicles that will be on display at the Bell House Hotel on July 15th. A more detailed list is printed below.

The night’s entertainment includes a fundraising raffle/ auction and informal forum on all aspects of Motorsport. A full list of raffle and auction prizes is also listed below.

The club has already gained approval from the Motorsport Association, the governing body of motorsport in the UK and was recently affiliated to several regional motorsport associations in the south of the England. These affiliations will allow the club to start organising events and the club are currently investigating possible dates towards the end of the year.

The official launch night promises to be one of the social highlights of the year and the club are anxious to have as many people as possible in attendance. The night offers motorsport enthusiasts and club members and fantastic opportunity to mix with like-minded individuals and meet some of the most famous names in Irish and British motorsport. Tickets are still available from the committee members listed below.

The primary reason for the official launch night is to raise funds for the fledging organisation but the members also wish to acquaint themselves with member of other clubs and organisations. The new club is willing to provide marshals and timekeepers for events in the UK and Ireland and will use the night as an opportunity to build bridges with other clubs and discuss different ways of helping each other out.

Confirmed Attendees
Billy Coleman, Andrew Nesbitt, Kenny Mc Kinstry, Niall Mc Shea, Dan O Sullivan, Liam Mc Carthy, Rick Smith, Frank O Mahoney, Eugene Donnolly, Paddy Hopkirk, Melvyn Evans, Pentti Arrikkala, Colin Wilson, Simon Mooney, Denis Cronin, Donal O Donovan, Jim Bamber, Michael Chester, David Campbell, Alan Tyndall, Fred Gallagher, Austin Machale, Gareth Machale, Rory Kennedy, Gary Jennings, Phil Collins, Rob Arthur, Russell Brookes, Jimmy Mc Rae, Ivan Fuery, and more to be confirmed.Programme of Events (approx)

Timetable
17.00 – 19.00
A static display of cars will be on display outside the hotel. This include Eugene Donollys Toyota Corolla WRC, Ollie O Donovans recently purchased ex George Tracy Peugeot 306 Rallycross car, Gerard Moroneys Subaru WRC, Steve Flecks Subaru WRC, John Reddingtons Ford Escort MkII, Les Lyons sprint BDA, Rob Aldermans Vauxhall engined Mk II Escort, Glynn O Dells Ford RS200, Pat Dorans Fiesta Rallycross Car, Brian Ruddens Vauxhall Chevette HSR, and many more Club members cars from various catagories of Motorsport. There will also be several more Competition Cars, which have yet to confirm.

19.00 – 20.00
We hope to have a forum or possibly a humorous Question + Answer session on Stage and we are hoping to have two large screens available that will show Rally Footage and Sponsors details throughout the evening.

20.00 – 20.30
This will be mingle time as it were for some chat amongst all those invited to chat over old times, new times etc During this a light buffet will be laid out to allow everyone a bit to eat.

20.30 – 21.30
We will have a selection of items for auction to raise money for the club. Items donated for auction include Signed Photos, DVD’s, Helicopter ride over the Thames, Champagne Dinner for 2 at the Bellhouse Hotel, Test day in a WRC Rally Car, Guest Day at a round of the British Rallycross Championship, Signed Chelsea football, other items are continually being donated for the auction and donations will be gratefully received ALWAYS.

21.30 – Late
We will have a live band to provide Music into the wee small hours.
There are numerous bars available throughout the hotel so thirst will not be an issue.

Tickets
For those interested in Tickets which cost £20-00 please contact any of the following Club Members who will only be too happy to help.

Ollie O Donovan 07766 774965
Xavier Mc Cartan 07766 774966
Willie Woods 07949 600175
Gerry Moroney 07885 257215
Sean Moriarty 07908 830689
Paul McDevitt 07817 205770
Bernard Glackin 07939 838847

(Replace 0 with 0044 from ROI)

Auction items for LIMC launch
2 x Peltor Helmets
Signed Hannu Mikkola print
Co Drivers seat with Gareth Lloyd
Etched Donegal mirror
Signed Jim Bamber print
Kenny Mc Kinstry Manx 1:18 model
Diff to value of £500-00
Signed RPM Dvd
Sigend On The Limit Dvd's
Racesuit, Boots, Underwear
Signed Chelsea Football
Holiday home for 1 week in Clare
Helicopter ride over the Thames
Boat trip to Ireland
Pink polo LIMC shirt signed
1 to 1 tuition with Kenny Mc Kinstry

Raffle items for LIMC launch


2 x Rally Jackets
2 X Hats
2 x Polo Shirts
Vespa bed inc Delivery
4 x Gp 4 Wheels
3 ton trolley jack
Selection of RPM Dvd's
Selection of On The Limits Dvd's
Pacenotes Polos
Signed Chelsea football
Subscriptions to Pacenotes
Subscriptions to Flat 2 the Mat
Flat 2 The Mat Rally Jacket
Bottle of Feckin Irish Whiskey
Brendan Lynch's book on the History of Irish Motorsport

London Irish Motorclub