A pupil from Kesh Primary School showed no shortage of creative flare to claim the top prize in the Ulster Rally’s ‘Helmet Design Competition’. Primary seven pupil, Jayme Loughlin impressed the judges with his design to come out on top in the keenly contested competition entered by over 80 pupils from 11 primary schools in the Fermanagh area, where the event will be based from August 23 to 24.
The 11-year-old will receive a helmet with his design on it, which will be signed by world renowned co-driver, Nicky Grist and the overall winner of the 2013 Todds Leap Ulster Rally. And, as an added bonus, it is intended that Kesh native, Garry Jennings, current leader of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, will wear the helmet, worth over £2,000, on the Fermanagh and South Tyrone stages this summer.
Alongside 20 runners-up, Jayme will also receive VIP passes to the Service Park and Special Spectator stage at St Angelo Airport, a tour of the Service Park and a spin around the stage in the PSNI’s Mitsubishi Evo car!
The youngster was told about his win when Jennings and Pirelli UK Star Driver, Mark Donnelly, arrived at the school in two rally cars to make the announcement, sparking much excitement among pupils and teachers alike!
School principal, Jill Parkinson, said: “To have the winner and two runners-up gave the whole school a real buzz, we’re delighted with the success. Jayme is into his rallying; he used to ride bikes and even has a car at 11 years of age and his helmet design has his own number and name on it.
“The competition gave the children a positive boost and we were delighted with the standard they produced. There was a lot of excitement in the school when the cars and the two drivers came. Everyone was on a real high and I think there will be a lot of children wanting to go to the rally now.”
Todds Leap Ulster Rally Clerk of the Course, Lewis Boyd, was delighted with the standard and number of entries received, saying: “I was extremely impressed by the number of entrants we received – there were over 80 from 11 primary schools in Fermanagh – they really bought into the competition, which is great for the sport and the event because these kids are the next generation, they are the future.
“The standard of the entrants was extremely high and we had a very tough job choosing the winner. The kids and teachers were over the moon when they saw the two rally cars and drivers, Mark Donnelly and Garry Jennings, coming to tell them they’d won,” he concluded.
The Todds Leap Ulster Rally 2013 takes place on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. The Service Park and Special Spectator stage will be based at St Angelo Airport, with the ceremonial start in Enniskillen and stages throughout Fermanagh and South Tyrone. To keep up-to-date with the build-up to the event, visit www.ulsterrally.com or search for Ulster Rally on Facebook and Twitter.
