He's Niall Quinn, he's Irish, but... he's no footballer!!!

[mooneyda]

I have watched lots of this guy on Karts and can tell you he will be well worth looking out for this year.

Has some serious talent for 16 year old!!
And what a great achievement and chance he has now made for himself for the future!


Article released;


Mighty Quinn on right track to join the Grand Prix elite
Thursday October 6th 2005




ALTHOUGH he has yet to race a car in competition, Co Meath teenager Niall Quinn is on a fast track to Formula One glory thanks to a sensational victory in the Red Bull driver shootout in Estoril, Portugal on Tuesday.

After seeing off the best of young driving talent from around the world in a two-day test at the wheel of a Formula BMW car, Quinn was handed a five-year sponsorship contract with the energy drink firm worth literally millions of dollars.

In winning the event and a place on the Red Bull squad of contracted drivers Quinn, a 17-year-old Leaving Cert student from Dunboyne, was told to focus on two things from now on: his studies and racing.

For the latter, Red Bull will pick up the tab, approximately €200,000 in his first season of car racing next year, rising to approximately €1m per annum at GP2 level, just below F1.

It's a meal ticket every young racer dreams of and, with corporate sponsorship scarce for most young Irish racers, is one of the very few funded options for the legions of young racers striving for success in racing.

After winning this year's Irish Formula A karting championship, Quinn, an occasional Formula Ford mechanic, was planning to race in the Irish Formula Ford 1600 series next year.

Now, though, he can aim further afield to hone his talents and he has his pick of the best drives in any series that he and his mentors decide on.

For 2006 that is likely to be the British Formula BMW series although Quinn himself would like to try the British Formula Renault championship, one rung higher on the career ladder. Quinn traveled to Portugal as the winner of the Red Bull High Kings of Karting event which benchmarked all the best Irish karters earlier this year.

In Estoril Quinn came up against top karters from around the world but was quicker than them all by more than half a second around the former Grand Prix venue.

"I improved my times from the first day to the second and then just had to wait until the others completed theirs," said Niall.

"It was a bit nerve-wracking but I knew I'd done well from the first day and when they told me I was just absolutely delighted. This is such a huge boost.

"They want me to stay in school so I'll race in Britain in 2006 in either Formula BMW or Formula Renault.

"After that I'll maybe switch to a European series."

[wongtastic]

Ya niall got the break of a life time. Hope he is irelands next success.
Niall is a very good pilot, i have seen him race in formula a b4. He won the national champs this year in eire.
He has a tough team mate if karting is anything to go by in Oliver Oakes world champ 2005 in fa.
Best of luck to niall and all his family in his future racing.