Niall Breen, from Dundalk, Co. Louth, and Meath drivers Peter Dempsey (Ashbourne) and Niall Quinn (Dunboyne) have been short-listed for the prestigious Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Year Award, which carries with it a share of the total prize fund of EUR 50,000, and the legendary "Sexton Trophy". The winner will be announced at Motorsport Ireland's "Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards" lunch, which is due to be held in Dublin on 4th December.

The three qualifying drivers will now each have to demonstrate their skill and driving ability before a panel of judges, one of whom will be ex-Formula One Driver, Martin Donnelly, at a Skills Test at Mondello Park Racing Circuit. This test has been set up thanks to the support of Irish Dunlop, The Irish Sports Council and Mondello Park Ltd.

The three young candidates were selected, following an interview process on 9th October, from the six monthly winners of the "Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Month" awards, which ran from April to September. The other three Drivers of the Month were Robert Cregan, Mark Willis and Robert Barrable.

The "Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Year" scheme has been created by Motorsport Ireland and is being backed by the Irish Sports Council and Irish Dunlop. The aim of the award is to promote talented and committed young Irish drivers to help them progress to the highest level of International competition. The scheme complements Motorsport Ireland's "Billy Coleman Award", which is a similar venture for young aspiring rally drivers.