Future Champions

The Ulster Automobile Club are delighted to announce our latest membership initiative which focuses specifically on supporting our young women club members progress in motorsport.

The Future Champions support programme shares another £2000, this time equally between four young women members to support their 2022/3 motorsport activities. This is one element of our Club development strategy to support young club members to compete, learn, gain experience and above all have fun! This latest development focuses on supporting women to participate in all forms of motorsport, building upon our previous award of £2000 to four young male members in 2020.

Kathy McDade, Amy Hawthorne, Emma Campbell, and Catherine Donnelly, each received a cheque for £500. They were all delighted with the boost to their budgets and greatly appreciate the support from the Club. The Club are delighted to support all our Future Champions, and look forward to following their exploits and progress with regular updates on facebook and the club website – www.ulsterautomobile.club.

Council believe these four young women; who have already gained great experience across a range of motorsport disciplines; possess the potential, qualities, skills and abilities needed to become future motorsport champions and we want to support and encourage their  development.

Future Champions 2022 Review

Catherine Donnelly

To paraphrase another great organisation, “Hi, my name is Catherine Donnelly and I’m a motorsport addict. I was literally born into motorsport. Due to my Dad’s motorsport business, around our kitchen table, any night of the week, was a who’s who of Irish Clubman Motorsport in the 1990s. I knew what a rolling road was long before I knew about hair rollers. Family holidays coincided with rallies and rallycross events. I spent my weekends ‘helping’ build engines.

Through most of my childhood, I dreamed about being a rally driver, but motion sickness on a fair ride in Bundoran put that notion out of my head for a while. I didn’t compete in my first motorsport event until I was 20. The Sunday before my first sprint at Nutts Corner, I sat in the Delta single seater for the first time and tried (unsuccessfully) to move it. I spent most of the afternoon, trying to drive on the tarmac at the front of the house. The clutch was so heavy it took most of my bodyweight to press it in and I stalled 90% of the time,

I had a makeshift booster-seat to help reach the pedals and I had never previously tried to change gear with my right hand. Roll forward a week, kitted out in a second hand race suit about 10 times too big for me, I managed to successfully if not slowly, manoeuvre my way round the track.

Thankfully, NUCC let me out on the track on my own as the last car in each run. As a complete newcomer to the sport, this was a great example of the lengths that clubs will go to to welcome novices into the sport. I competed in one more sprint in my first year, managing to have my first bump against some barriers, but I was hooked– the feeling of the air through the visor can’t be beaten.

The Corkscrew in Co Clare was my first hill climb– a completely different ballgame than a sprint. I managed to keep the car out of The Burren landscape and bring the car home in one piece and after that, I got stuck into the sprints, improving a little bit at a time. The seat time paid off and when I went back to Clare the following year, I had improved, bettering my 42nd place the previous year with a 14th place finish. My best finish to date being 6th overall.

Over the 10 years I have been competing, that has been the mind-set that I approach each event, improving. Whether it’s improving my times, getting a higher speed through the speed trap, or braking later. As much as beating someone is great, beating myself is my main aim.

My plans for the future, as ‘out there’ as they may be, involve winning. Starting with a class win, onto an event win, then following in Jenny Kennedy’s footsteps and becoming a female champion. And on my way to the top I want to encourage other women into motorsport. Showing them that we have what it takes to be part of it.

Amy Hawthorne

After spending my whole life being in the paddock as a spectator and tagging along to every event, it was finally my turn. In 2021 I was finally able to start my motorsport career after a long 17-year countdown. After Covid very kindly postponed the start of the season in May we were finally able to have our first event at Kirkistown.

My family are all very involved in racing and its great having such a big support having people around like my granda’s, dad, mum, uncles and cousins at every race, is appreciated and the advice they give and each event is always fun with everyone around.

In 2021, I completed my first season in the S.W Adair tyres sprint championship in my Clio 172 and was part of the Heaslip Ladies challenge which I won 3 events and finished 4th overall in the challenge. This trophy allows all the girls in the championship to compete against each other by running a handicap system which means the cars we drive are not a factor in who wins, this challenge trophy adds a competitive element between all the girls and we all really enjoy competing against each other and finding out at the end of the day who has won. I also won the 2021 speed championship Newcomers Award which was presented at the ANICC awards dinner.

I am currently a full time Uni student which means money can often be tight so when I found out I had been selected as part of the Future Champions support programme I was pleasantly surprised and extremely grateful. This money will allow me to make upgrades to my car and will help me massively when it comes to running my car for the 2022 season.

I would like to thank UAC massively for selecting me to be part of this programme, words cannot express how much I appreciate it. I would also like to thank them and all marshals, officials, medical staff, and championship officials who run all our events without them it wouldn’t be possible. I would also like to personally thank my family because without them it wouldn’t be possible for me to do these events I am truly grateful.

Kathy Mc Dade

Having attended the AGM of the UAC I was shocked and equally delighted to learn that I was one of the recipients of a cheque for £500 in connection with the Future Champions Support Programme, a new initiative that the UAC established a couple of years ago to encourage and support new competitors on their motorsport journey.

Having upgraded to a 1700 Ford Puma, I went on to win the TSCC Ladies prize at their Summer Event in 2019. An opportunity arose again to upgrade my car, and I subsequently acquired a 1.8 20v Seat Leon, through a friend. This also meant an upgrade from Class 1 to Class 2, which meant I was competing against more, faster and bigger cars.

Unfortunately, the Leon is currently feeling a little under the weather, after blowing the engine at the last event of the 2021 sprint season. I spent the 2022 Sprint season back in Class 1 in a Honda Civic and did well in being placed and building up my championship points for the season. My aim, with a lot of help from my Dad is to get my Leon up and running again for the 2023 season and continue competing as part of the Northern Ireland Sprint Championship.

Although, I have always been around motorsport, with my Dad being involved in the sport from a very young age, I only really started competing in 2015 after attending a Trackskills event at Kirkistown as a spectator, the year previous. I initially did a sprint in my dad’s 400BHP Subaru, which got me ‘hooked’ on the sport. The first competition car that I could call my own was a Ford KA, which had been acquired from a local scrapyard of all places!

Having upgraded to a 1700 Ford Puma, I went on to win the TSCC Ladies prize at their Summer Event in 2019. An opportunity arose again to upgrade my car, and I subsequently acquired a 1.8 20v Seat Leon, through a friend. This also meant an upgrade from Class 1 to Class 2, which meant I was competing against more, faster and bigger cars.

Unfortunately, the Leon is currently feeling a little under the weather, after blowing the engine at the last event of the 2021 sprint season. I spent the 2022 Sprint season back in Class 1 in a Honda Civic and did well in being placed and building up my championship points for the season. My aim, with a lot of help from my Dad is to get my Leon up and running again for the 2023 season and continue competing as part of the Northern Ireland Sprint Championship.

Emma Campbell

I was shocked and surprised to learn that I was selected as one of four ladies for the UAC Future champions Programme. A big thank you must go to the Ulster Automobile Club for running such an important programme and selecting me as one of their candidates and providing much needed financial support. The financial support will be used wisely, as many involved in Motorsport will attest, old cars require maintenance and money, so ‘Patsy the Peugeot’ will receive some new parts in readiness for the 2023 Motorsport Season.

Many have asked how I got involved in Motorsport? and, to be honest it wasn’t a planned route, more by accident than design. We are not the typical family that have been involved in Motors or Engineering, my Dad and I had a common interest in Watching Formula 1 and the brilliant BTCC (Turkington Fan!!). Dad would bring me along to some Motoring events and shows although one event that stands out was watching David Coulthard with the Red Bull Racing Team racing up and down the road in Front of the Belfast City Hall. As a Birthday present Dad had booked a Drive in a Single Seater Sports Libre Car at Kirkistown.

These events were run by the sadly missed and brilliant Race School Ireland but this gave me the adrenalin rush and buzz for Motorsport. It was after this experience that we looked into the various Motorsport disciplines to investigate options and costs. There are many options out there for all ages and genders you just need to pop along to any Motorsport event and ask. You will find that many of the Competitors will be only too glad to help and point you in the right direction, don’t be afraid to ask.

After some searching and spectating, for me, it was the ANICC Sprint/Hill climb discipline that suited my budget and requirements. I am now competing in my fourth season but had little expectations, just hoping to learn and improve my times.

To my surprise I won First in Class two years running 2020 & 2021 – 2022?? Who knows? In 2020 the Ladies Heaslip Challenge Trophy was introduced to the Sprint Championship, a big thank you must also go to Jimmy Heaslip for Sponsoring this Trophy. This has added another dimension to the Sprint Championship for us Ladies and is heavily contested.

I have been fortunate to be Runner up in 2020 and Winner of this most coveted Trophy in 2021. These have been big achievements for me as I have never won anything in Competition before. None of the Motorsport events can happen without the ongoing support of so many people, from the various Clubs, Secretaries, Officials, Scrutineers, Marshals, Time Keepers, Medical Support, Event coordinators and Photographers, etc., for which all we competitors are very thankful, so if you want to learn more about Motorsport you could perhaps lend a hand at some events before deciding which type of Motorsport will suit you. At the end of the day it’s all about having a great days crack with everyone and is a day for Dad and I to share our love for Motorsport.

The Future Champions Support Programme is the Ulster Automobile Club’s latest membership initiative which focuses specifically on supporting our young club members with their motorsport activities.

Latest News

William Creighton, one of our Four Future Champions has been shortlisted for the Motorsport News National Rally Driver Award 2021.
One of these awards were votes count !

Perhaps you will support by voting for him and better still, consider forwarding to your friends and asking them to do likewise and forward to their friends.

To vote please follow the below link –

https://www.fastcar.co.uk/motorsportnews/national-rally-driver-of-the-year-2021 <https://www.fastcar.co.uk/motorsportnews/national-rally-driver-of-the-year-2021>

Support Programme

The Future Champions Support Programme shared £2000 equally between four young members to support their 2020 motorsport activities. This is one element of our Club development strategy to support young club members to compete, learn, gain experience and above all have fun! A complimentary element will focus on supporting women to participate in all forms of motorsport.

Council believe these young members; who have already gained great experience across a range of motorsport disciplines; possess the potential, qualities, skills and abilities needed to become future motorsport champions and we want to support and encourage their development.

Cheques for £500 each were presented by Erin Stewart, our membership secretary and youngest female club member to (L to R below); William Creighton, Daniel Harper, Adam McMullan & Ben McKee at the drivers briefing on It’s Not The Boxing Day Rally just after Christmas in 2019.

Three of the recipients were competing on the event and Daniel joined us for the presentation. All of them were delighted with the boost to their budgets and greatly appreciate this move by the Club. 

Future Champions 2020 Review

Daniel Harper

I signed as part of the BMW Junior Team at the end of last year. This was a big decision for me, as it meant I pulled of the Porsche Junior shootout for a chance at the Porsche Supercup. 

It was a great opportunity to sign with a manufacturer and learn the endurance side of motorsport. I was partnered with team-mates Neil Verhagen and Max Hesse, and as well as racing together we also shared an apartment together at the Nurburgring. We competed in the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, whilst we also got to do multiple media events with BMW and attend some DTM races through the year.  

After the first lockdown ended in June, we returned to Germany to start racing. We began in a BMW M240i whilst we completed our Nordschleife permits, which then allowed us to move up to faster machinery. We competed in the first three races with FK Performance in the M240i Cup class and took victory in our third race together. This was a very special moment and a great achievement as we were very much still learning the track.  

After getting our Permit A, we were able to move up to the BMW M4 GT4 for the fourth round onwards. Despite it being our first time in this car and having only four hours of practice before the race, we came away with third in class.  

The main event of the year was the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. For all three of us this was our first time racing a 24 hour endurance race, and our first time driving at night. 

With extreme weather conditions throughout too, it was a crazy experience.    

Incredibly, we came away with the class victory and P19 overall as the first non-GT3 car across the line. 

To do this at our first attempt in such an ultra-competitive field, full of teams and drivers with vastly more experience than us, was a brilliant achievement.  Unfortunately that proved to be our final race of 2020, as the second lockdown came and the remainder of the NLS season was cancelled. We did get some last track time in before heading home though, with a four day official BMW test at the Lausitzring in November.

Fingers crossed our programme will restart in January, when we will begin testing in the BMW M6 GT3 for the first time. Hopefully with a full testing programme and some NLS races in the car, we can go for an attack on winning the overall 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2021.  

A massive thank you to the UAC for their financial and moral support this season. It has without a doubt been the biggest and most important year of my racing career to date, and to have the backing of people in Northern Ireland is a fantastic feeling. 

William Creighton

The plan for 2020 was to compete in the Junior British Rally Championship. My aim was to win this championship and secure the €60,000 prize fund which would be put towards a 2021 Junior World Rally Championship campaign. The season started really well, as we took victory on the opening round at the Cambrian Rally in February.

I was extremely happy to start the year with a win as we had done limited miles in the Fiesta which was a new car for us in 2020 as we switched from a Peugeot 208. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus the Cambrian Rally was the only round of the BRC which would take place. 

As most sporting events ground to a halt, it was unclear when we would next compete. In July we decided that we would travel to Italy to compete in Rally di Roma Capitale, as part of the European Junior Championship. The extreme heat and technical stages made this event very challenging and a huge test on man and machine.

The rally started well as Liam and myself set 4th quickest time on SS1, within a field of 31 R2 cars. As we arrived at the first service we were 3rd in the Junior ERC – this was far beyond my expectations before the rally as I was still not familiar with how the Fiesta would handle on tarmac. Unfortunately, on SS4 we picked up a puncture early within the stage meaning we had to stop and change the wheel which dropped us down the leaderboard.

Then on SS5 we began to have brake problems which we continued to struggle with throughout the rest of the day. After a nights rest both Liam and I were looking forward to another day on the Italian stages, however it was not to be – as the car developed an electrical fault throughout the morning loop of stages which would cause us to retire in SS8.

Despite not getting to the finish, it was a great opportunity to compete at Rally di Roma and prove that we could go head-to-head against some of the quickest drivers in the R2 category. I would like to thank my Team and David Greer Motorsport for their huge effort in making Rome possible, especially during the current circumstances. 

In December I was given the opportunity to be part of Hyundai’s official test of their new R5 car in France – the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. This was a prize awarded to me on behalf of the BRC for winning the first round of 2020. I really enjoyed the experience of being part of a “works” test and learnt a great amount from the engineers and Craig Breen and John Rowan who were testing the car. 

Unfortunately I was not able to drive the car due to bad weather as a few inches of snow meant the test was cut short, however this will hopefully be rescheduled in 2021 and I will get another opportunity.  Whilst we have done little rallying in 2020 I am as focused as ever and looking forward to what will happen in 2021. I have continued to train and keep fit, with the help of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy – which I hope will begin to meet in person again soon. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone at the Ulster Automobile Club for their continued support – it is greatly appreciated. I am sad that all of us were unable to be out at the annual It’s Not the Boxing Day lanes event! 

Hopefully I can share more rally updates in the not too distant future. 

Ben McKee

On the 10th of October I competed in the UAC October Sprint in my Micra. The weather was great for the time of year and the competition was out in force. Practice went well but I knew I could go better.  I managed to go was slightly faster in the first timed run and that happened to be my fastest time as I had a few stupid mistakes due to trying too hard.

I ended the day 4th in class 1 and most importantly beat my Dad who was in the same car. This was my second event of the year having competed in the NUCC Sprint in September where I also finished 4th.

Thanks to UAC, Kirkistown, all the marshals and the event  sponsor,  North Down House TT Bistro, without you all nothing could have run during these weird times. 

Adam McMullan

At the It’s Not the Boxing Day Rally on 27th December 2019 I was shocked to learn that I was one of the recipients of a cheque for £500 for a new initiative called Future Champions Support Programme.  I would like to thank the UAC Council for selecting me and this is greatly appreciated. 

I got involved in motorsport in 2014 when I started navigating for my dad in targa rallies when I was 12. From then I have attended many different events navigating and also attended marshalling courses which got me my marshals licence and have marshalled and helped set up at the Circuit of Ireland and  Easter Stages. Over recent months I have navigated for different drivers.

Then in 2016 when I was 14 I competed in my first autotest and had never driven a car until then so you can guess my knees where knocking together.  I enjoyed my first year’s autotesting in a Toyota Yaris, the next year I changed to a Toyota starlet which I am still driving.  In 2018 I finished 3rd in two junior club championships.  

In 2019 I won both the junior club championships for CAM and TSCCNI.  Over the summer I built a lightweight starlet which I will autotest in the 2020 season.  

I tested it at a couple of NI autotest championship rounds towards end of 2019. I drove in the It’s Not the Boxing Day Rally for the first time with my dad navigating which I really enjoyed and finished 4th in my class which I was delighted with.

This money will greatly improve my budget for my cars for the forthcoming season.

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