Name: Kevin O’Connor
Date of Birth: 21/05/1990
Home Town: Curraheen North, Askeaton, Co.Limerick, Ireland
Occupation: Student (Studying Automation and Control)
Road Car/Recce Car: Opel Astra.
Rally Car: Citroen C2R2 Max
Hobbies: Car racing, Karting, Motorcross, GYM


When did you first get behind the wheel?

I was very young, maybe 7 or 8, my dad used to let me drive his JCB around the yard, but my first taste of a rallycar was a mark3 escort my brother used for autocross’s, he was testing it and they let me have ago behind the wheel, I was 14 or 15 at the time, there was no looking back from then on.
How did you get involved in Rallying?

 My Father has been involved in Rallying for as long as I can remember, he competed against the likes of Frank Maher and Eugene Donnelly in a MarkI BDA and an Opel Manta, so Motorsport has always been part of my life. I first started competing in karting in Dublin at a young age, and I found this a very good platform to start off in. When I turned 17 I couldn’t get my rally license fast enough.


Rally Debut: September 2007, Killarney Forestry Rally
How did you progress from there?

After the Killarney Forestry Rally I competed in Ed O’Callaghan’s 106 in the Banna rally and finished 46th O/A, I then went on to compete in the njrc with a 106 the following year and after a lot of mechanical failures I turned towards the rwd 205 which I claimed my first junior rally victory in. After finishing 9th O/A in the Limerick Mini Stages Rally we upgraded to the c2 for the following year which we narrowly missed out on the NJRC title, in 2011 luck was not on our side and I only finished 1 out of 9 rally’s started. In 2012 having taken the wheel on Marty McCormack’s C2R2 Max I contested the Citroen Racing Trophy where everything finally clicked and we brought home the championship title.
Favourite rallying moment? Winning the Citroen Racing Trophy is the best feeling I have ever had, the effort and sacrifices that has gone into our rallying over the last few years has been huge and to win the title makes all the hard work and bad days gone by all worthwhile.

Favourite stage?

It has to be Beallaghbeama, it’s a real technical stage and really suits my style of driving, its one of few stages that I would want to go back to the start and do all over again, on this year’s Rally of the Lakes we were 7th quickest O/A on that stage and Gary Jennings was only 12seconds quicker in his evo9, that made my weekend!
What was your most frustrating moment in rallying? Circuit of Munster rally 2010, having lead the junior rally from the start, on the way back to parc ferme the car stopped and having eventually got there we were excluded, it was by far the most disappointing finish I have had.
Any big accidents? I have had 3 big accidents, two of them where only 3rd gear accidents but there was one I had while flat in sixth gear, the car stepped out over a crest and hit a tree sideways, but we walked away without a scratch so it we were lucky in a way.

And the Future?

 I have been nominated for the Billy Coleman Award so I am currently putting all my efforts into that, as for 2013, we are trying to put together a programme to contest the full BRC either in an R2 car or an R3 car. Watch this space!!


Anything else you would like to say?

I’d like to thank everybody that has helped me from the beginning, I get to drive the car but all the lads have to bear all kinds of weather in service and for that I’m very thankful, and a special thanks to my Dad he makes the biggest sacrifice’s out of everyone to give me the opportunity’s I have been given, if it wasn’t for him I would be standing on the ditches wishing I could compete.
Thanks to my Co-drivers for the year, Ger and Shane for all their help. 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, John at Farrell bus and tyres, Johnny , Henry, Mike, Jack, Gary, Steven, Danny, Raymond, and Liam for all your help this year.
You can follow Kevin’s progress on @ www.oconnormotorsport.com , Facebook or on Twitter
And on Twitter @1kevinoconnor

Profile added to website 24 October 2012