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Driven to succeed
 By
David Thorpe
Since the retirement of Eddie Irvine Irish motor racing fans have not
had a driver they could take to their hearts.
But that could soon change as several young drivers are making a name
for themselves and are being tipped as future Formula One stars.
Twenty-three-year-old Michael Devaney has been making a name for himself
in both of the competitions immediately below Formula One.
As lead driver with the Irish A1GP team last season Micheal progressed
to the Top-10 in the world in that competition before joining the Ultimate
Motorsport team to compete in the British Formula Three Championship where
he is on course for another Top 10 finish.
Micheal says: “Growing up all I wanted to do was drive. I started
with karting and it just took off from there. I hope that I can continue
to work hard then maybe make a breakthrough to Formula One.”
Another young Irishman who has been making a considerable name for himself
is the Dundalk racer Niall Breen.
The 21-year-old astounded the motor racing world when he won the British
BMW Championship in his debut season. His nine race wins in that grade
were enough to secure a prestigious drive with the Carlin Team and he
currently lies in fifth position in the Formula Three World Championship.
Given his form in recent races, where he has secured a number of excellent
finishes, it is thought that Breen could obtain a top-four position in
the final standings in his rookie season in the second tier of European
motor racing.
Always a level-headed fellow Niall is not getting carried away with the
blistering early success he is enjoying.
He said: “I always knew how difficult it is to make a living as
a professional driver. There are a lot of good lads that I would have
raced against who have dropped out of the sport.
“I have been lucky in a lot of ways and got the breaks at the right
time. I have confidence in my ability and hope to progress further up
the racing ladder and maybe all the way to Formula One but I am taking
nothing for granted.”
Motor racing is a constantly growing sport in Ireland with exceptionally
high viewing figures considering that there are currently no Irish competitors
and the sport is likely to develop further in the coming seasons as Irish
competitors begin to make their presence felt on the international stage. |
