A delegation from Motorsport Ireland led a homecoming celebration for newly crowned Junior World Rally Champion William Creighton at Dublin Airport on Monday afternoon.
Creighton became the first Irish driver to win the Junior World Rally Championship since Craig Breen’s 2011 success.
He and co-driver Liam Regan arrived at Dublin Airport on Monday afternoon, where senior Motorsport Ireland officials were on hand to welcome them back to Ireland.
They were crowned Junior World Rally Champion at the EKO Acropolis Greece Rally on Sunday evening.
The delegation included President Aidan Harper, Sporting Manager Art McCarrick and Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Manager Sean McHugh.
Members of the extended Creighton and Regan families also attended.
"This is an incredible achievement for William Creighton and Liam Regan. What a proud day for Motorsport Ireland and especially the Motorsport Ireland Academy that was founded and developed four years ago by John Coyne to identify, develop, support, and encourage young Irish athletes who have the talent to become first in class and best in the world,” said President Harper.
Tributes were also paid to Motorsport Ireland crew Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan who finished second on the Greek event.
Both Creighton and Kelly are graduates of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
“We established the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy four years ago to identify, develop, support, and encourage young Irish athletes who have the talent, passion, and determination to compete effectively on the world stage,” said Academy Co-ordinator Sean Mc Hugh.
“To have William and Liam bring the Championship home to Ireland for the first time since Craig Breen won in 2011 is a strong endorsement of the Academy project and I’m looking forward to continued success in the years to come both for William and Liam as they develop their careers and for our other Academy athletes.” said Academy founder and patron John Coyne
Text by Sean Moriarty / Pics by Philip Fitzpatrick and Michael Chester
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