MAX MCKILLEN CHASES WELSH VICTORY

Posted: June 1, 2000 8:07 PM

Driving his Barkel Motors backed Peugeot 106, Max is the leading Irish driver in the series lying a very promising 7th overall, a position which could be greatly improved if he records his debut victory this weekend. Taking the top spot would also enhance his chances of becoming the first recipient of the prestigious Billy Coleman Award. Introduced this year by the sports governing body, Motorsport Ireland, to assist in getting an Irish driver into World Championship rallying, the winner will receive £20,000 towards their 2001 campaign.

Apart from contesting the UK based Super 106 Cup, Max also has his sights set on winning the Formula 2 category of the Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Championship. The winner of the opening two rounds of the premiere rally series, his stunning performance on the Rally of the Lakes and the Summit 2000 Rally have made him the topic of much conversation as he continues to make further impressions on the sport. Enjoying additional backing from i-Structure, his next Tarmac outing will be on June 16-18 when he takes part in the 3 day Donegal International Rally.

A relative newcomer to the sport, Max\'s rise to the top has been achieved in an extremely short period of time. Starting in 1998 driving a Peugeot 205 Gti he made his competition debut on the Galway International Rally. A short lived affair he retired just 5 miles into the first stage with a broken distributor. Not deterred by his non-finish he contested three more rallies before switching to the Super 106 Cup for the 1999 season. Three rounds into the series however he suffered a major accident which he was luckily able to walk away from but the large repair bill meant his season was cut short.

Deciding to return to the Super 106 Cup, Max put together a carefully planned campaign for the 2000 season. Consisting mainly of forestry events, he took part in the Irish Forestry Rally Championship over the winter so as to gain experience driving on the loose surface. Quick to learn, he finished a giant killing 6th overall on the Birr Rally - an achievement which saw him receive the \'Best Newcomer Award\' at the Motorsport Ireland Forestry Rally Awards Night.