Caldwell, Coleman, McBride Make Billy Coleman Award Final Three
From left to right: Cian Caldwell, Casey Jay Coleman, Kyle McBride
Cian Caldwell, Casey Jay Coleman, and Kyle McBride have been announced as the three finalists for this year’s Billy Coleman Award for the Young Rally Driver of the Year.
After an extensive day of interviews at the Motorsport Ireland offices, a panel of five judges concluded meetings with six nominees that represent the best of young talent in Irish rallying, finally concluding the day with deliberations on the award’s winner and two runners up, the details of which will be announced at the Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards on Wednesday 03 December at the Crowne Plaza, Dublin and will be livestreamed on MotorsportIreland.com.
Casey Jay Coleman
22-year-old Casey Jay Coleman from Clonmel received the only wildcard nomination this year. Having progressed from karting, Coleman has moved up through the ranks from J1000 to Rally2. A class win on the 2025 West Cork Rally set Coleman up for a successful season abroad where he competed in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, which runs within the European Rally Championship. A win in the Czech Republic and second place in Italy saw Coleman finish as runner up in that series and he then switched to a Skoda Fabia Rally2 for the Wexford and Cork 20 Rallies where he produced some eye-catching times.
Cian Caldwell
Cian Caldwell from Kells, Co. Meath, secured his nomination by dominating Class 2 in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, the Sligo Pallets National Forestry Rally Championship and the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series. The 21-year-old started fourteen rallies in 2025, finishing them all and winning Class 2 on seven occasions. The Peugeot 208 Rally 4 driver only started rallying in 2022 and was a previous nominee for the Billy Coleman Award in 2023.
Kyle McBride
22-year-old Kyle McBride received the first nomination for the 2025 Billy Coleman Award for Young Rally Driver of the Year Award, for the opening period of January to May.
McBride, from Clonmany, Co. Donegal contested the Irish and UK Stallantis Rally Cup and the Junior British Rally Championship this season in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. In the January – May nomination window, he managed to secure class wins on the East Riding Stages, the West Cork Rally and the Jim Clark Rally. McBride is a member of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and was a Billy Coleman Award finalist in 2022 and 2024.
About the Award
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.