Longford rally driver claims coveted national title

A third-place finish in Ulster Rally’s Rally4 category was enough for Shane to clinch ITRC’s Rally4 title.

Shane and co-driver Stephen Reynolds finished behind British Rally Champion’s Kyle White and Kyle McBride, but crucially managed to stay ahead of his ITRC rival Casey Jay Coleman to record his second top-points finish of the season.

The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (ITRC) is the premier rallying series in Ireland. The Championship takes place over seven events, based in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, using special stages, which are run against the clock, on closed public tarmac roads.

Shane's achievement was all the more impressive given that this was the Longford driver's first year to commit to the circuit: “It was great to get it in the end. It was a tough year.”

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He drives a 2021 Ford Fiesta. Though his love of the sport is deep, he is not racing that long: “I started go-carting a few years ago. My dad hired a car for the Longford Rally in 2017, that's really where the love started. We went to nearly every rally in the country. He got his own car in April, 2020. I got mine in July of that year.”

Covid curtailed Shane's driving ambitions until over a year later: “I did my first rally in September 2021. It went on from there, but this is the first year to commit to a full championship. RC4 is probably the most prestigious championship in the ITRC class.”

Rally is not a sport for the casual player: “It's very expensive. Only for the sponsor it would not be happening. We have two main sponsors; NJ Doyne Construction Limited and Construction Industry Training Providers. My dad is another major supporter. Without them it would not be possible.”

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With the 2023 RC4 Irish Tarmac Rally Champion title to his name Shane is contemplating his next move: “We've been talking about that since the win. Do we go to the British championship? Do we take more gravel tracks? Chances are we will probably contest the BRC, doing a mix of gravel and tarmac.”

Shane says emulating the success of Sébastien Loeb is something he would aspire to: “I'd like to think so, but we will have to wait and see.”

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Shane's mum, Theresa McDermott Quinn, was delighted with her son's achievement, even it if meant he missed her own event: “The final round of the championship fell on the same day as the Trek with Theresa, but it's easy to forgive him for missing it.”

Shanequinnrallying sponsored St Brigid's Gaels LGFA senior jerseys this year and he was on the pitch Sunday morning to celebrate their first win of the championship with them.

"It was a great weekend all round for the club and my family.”

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