KDMC2 Youth Program

KDMC2 Youth Program

Having been involved in motorsport for many years KDMC Member Mike O’Shea identified theres an information vacuum when enticing the next generation to the sport.  Following a discussion with newly joined younger club members the following key points were identified to be worked on:

  • More social outings needed.

  • Introduction to different aspects of the sport.

  • Meeting up with drivers and professionals.

  • Identification of pathways into possible career opportunities in motorsport.

With this in mind the KDMC2 Youth Program was developed.  The objective of the program is to showcase motorsport and motorsport opportunities to the next generation and support their endeavours wherever possible.

Beginning with a small locally ran treasure hunt in July last year the program has since gone from strength to strength.  The official launch of the KDMC Youth project took place on 14th October 2023 when with the help of some very kind rally competitors and car owners a Prodrive celebration evening took place in Killarney.  This celebration evening was held in aid of the Jack and Jill Foundation and paid homage to the BMW and Subaru rally cars built by Prodrive in the 1990’s and 2000’s.  The night was MC’ed by Alan “Plum” Tyndall of RPM Motorsport whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport is infinite.  A number of iconic cars were on display and some Motorsport legends were interviewed by Plum about their experiences driving BMW and Subaru rally cars.  Their stories and anecdotes kept the audience captivated for over 2 hours.  The evening was a huge success with €7,500 raised for the charity.

KDMC2 also arranged an information evening with Engineer and Kerry native Richard Browne of Volkswagen Motorsport in February 2024.  This evening was organised specifically for younger people thinking about choosing a career in Motorsport.  Richard gave in insight into his own career, his exploits in the WRC (as Engineer to Andreas Mikkelson) and his plans for the future.

KDMC2 are also delighted to have a rally team with 4 members currently competing in the J1000 Junior Rally Series.  This rally series comprises of drivers aged 14 to 17 years driving 1000cc rally cars.  The 4 cars are kindly sponsored by various businesses who we are delighted to have and to be investing in the future of the sport. 

The work of the youth program was also recognised by Motorsport Ireland last year when Killarney and District Motor Club won in the innovation category at the Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards 2023.

The future is bright for KDMC2 with so much to look forward to.  New members (both young and not so young) are always welcome!

In addition, the program has a list of mentors willing to advise those who are beginning their foray into motorsport.  One such mentor is 2003 World Rally Champion Co-Driver Phil Mills who has been very supportive to the project.