Name : John O’Connor

Age: 24

Lives: Askeaton, Co. Limerick

Occupation: Electrician

Rallycar: Citroen C2R2

Road car: a beautiful left hand drive 93 Opel Astra estate!

When did u first get behind the wheel of a car?

I think I was about 15.. I convinced Mikie Walsh to let me drive his 2 litre RWD mark 3 escort rallycar!!

Where does your interest in motorsport come from?

My Family have always been stuck in motorsport.. My Dad nearly won the National forestry title in the early nineties only he rolled out of contention on the final event! He and Frank Meagher used to have good battles in the wood so I guess that’s something to be proud of…!

First motorsport memory?

I remember been giving the choice to go and watch a rally or play soccer with the local under 8 team… There was only ever going to be one winner! The soccer manager wasn’t too impressed when he found out!

What was your first event?

Circuit of Munster 06… I had a mark 2 escort. I think I finished 51st and 4th in class 10

How did you progress from there?

Didn’t really have the funds to do much so only did the odd local event.  Myself and Carrie Moroney competed in the NJRC in 2009, it was my first proper years rallying I used a RWD Mark 3 Escort… didn’t go as planned..a lot of DNF’s due to mechanical problems.. finished  4tho/a in the championship and 2nd in the 1600 modified class.

Favourite rallying moment?

Winning the Stonethrowers Junior rally this year is up there, it put me back in the National Junior title race and winning my first Junior rally back in Clare in 2009

Favourite Stage?

Doing the Molls gap stage in Killarney for the first time this year… some people say it’s over rated but I think it’s class!! There something special about starting it because of all the greats that have competed on that stage before and to be leading the Juniors after it against all the locals was a nice feeling…!

What your most frustrating moment in rallying?

Donegal Harvest Rally 2012 tested my patience, while on the way to the event an oncoming car lost control and hit me… destroying the service van, trailer and almost the rallycar. Thanks to the generosity of others and a couple of long hours, we reached the start line. The day was looking good, we were on the pace and it looked like all the hard work was paying off until the gear lever snapped off and left us with only 3rd gear. We retired after that stage and with that lost the National Junior title, we still got 3rd O/A in the Championship but that was little comfort on the side of the road in Donegal….!!

Any big accidents?

I think my biggest was splitting a telegraph pole in the 2008 Clare Junior rally… I was using my Brothers Peugeot  rallycar and lost the back of the car over a series of bumps… I think we hit the pole in 5th gear.. Definitely wasn’t a good day at the office!

How has the year gone for you?

Bar my off in Killarney earlier in the year It’s gone relatively good, I’m happy enough with the speed ive shown considering it’s my first year in a front wheel drive car and to make it more awkward she’s left hand drive..! It was disappointing to lose out on the Junior Title, with all the drama we had in build up to the final round, on the day it seemed to be going our way until we retiredbut if rallying was easy everybody would be doing it!

And the future?

Honestly I don’t know.. I put a lot into this year and to lose a the final hurdle was very hard to take… but I’ll dust myself down over the winter and see if there’s anything that will float my boat.. if nothing develops I might just pick and choose my events next year.

Anything else to say?

I want to thank everybody that has helped me from the moment I began rallying, especially Dad I had given up all hope after 2009 but he kept at me for the last 2years to come back and give it another go! Anybody who knows him will tell you he can be very persuasive! I know I won’t live this down but thanks to my Co-drivers Keith and Ger for all their help this year, I know I can be awkward over the little things on the day of an event! Thank you to our unsung heroes, Mam and Sinead for making sure we never go hungry at a rally and a special thank you to Tj at SVS, Danny at DM Motor Factors, Kevin, Henry, Mike, Jack, Gary, Steven, Danny, Raymond, Liam and Keith for all your help this year.

 Johnny

You can follow Johnny’s progress @  www.oconnormotorsport.com , Facebook or on Twitter.

Profile added to website 24 October 2012

 
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