Joe Kelly nominated for 2025 Billy Coleman Award

Joe Kelly has received the second nomination for the 2025 Billy Coleman Award for Young Rally Driver of the Year Award, for the period of June to October.

Kelly (22) has been contesting the Irish and UK Stellantis Rally Cup and the Junior British Rally Championship this season in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. The Donegal native enjoyed a strong season, showing consistent front running pace on tarmac and gravel, only finishing off the podium once. His highlight in the June to October window was a dominant class win on the Grampian Forest Rally in Scotland.

Kelly’s rallying journey started in the J1000 class in 2019 and post Covid he moved to a Ford Fiesta R2T before making the switch to a Peugeot 208 in 2022. Category wins saw him in contention for the 2025 Junior British Rally Championship and Irish and UK Stellantis Cup, which he narrowly lost out on the final stage of the Cambrian Rally in late October. 2025 also saw Kelly sample Rally2 machinery when he drove a Toyota Yaris Rally2 on the Wexford Stages Rally.

Outside of his time in the car, Kelly works within the family Toyota dealerships in Letterkenny and Mountcharles.

Commenting on his nomination Kelly said; “It’s a privilege to be nominated after a strong year. I would like to thank my family, friends and all my sponsors for their support and I would like to thank DGM for running the car all season. Finally, a special thank you to both my co-drivers, Killian McArdle and James McBrearty for sitting alongside me this year.”

Kelly now joins fellow Donegal driver Kyle McBride in contention for the 2025 Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award. The remaining nominees, who qualify through championship results and wildcard nominations, will be announced later this week.

The winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award will receive a support package to contest rallies nationally and internationally in 2026. The Sport Ireland and Motorsport Ireland funded award is valued at €50,000. The award winner will receive assistance and guidance from Billy Coleman coordinator Sean McHugh.

An additional support package, to a value of up to €50,000, will be available from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy as part of an agreed training and development programme designed to progress the winners’ career. The winner may apply for a second year of support upon satisfactory performances in their award-winning year.

Both Billy Coleman Award runners-up will receive support to compete in stage rallies at home and abroad up to an amount of €15,000 each as well as an invitation to participate in the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy development programme in 2026.

All funding will be based upon agreed plans which will be subject to the achievement of progression targets.