Motorsport star Alex Dunne ‘to receive official financial support’
Offaly TD Tony McCormack has welcomed confirmation that the Department of Sport is to provide financial support to Formula 2 star Alex Dunne for the year, following more than a year of engagement with Minister of State for Sport Charlie McConalogue on securing support for the young Offaly driver.
Deputy McCormack said the funding recognises both the extraordinary level Alex is competing at and the very different financial realities facing young drivers attempting to reach the highest level of international motorsport.
“People sometimes assume that because Alex is racing at this level, he must be earning significant money. The reality in Formula 2 is very different.
“Drivers rely enormously on sponsorship and financial backing simply to compete. An F2 seat can cost millions of euro for a season and there is no prize money. You can be one of the best young drivers in the world and still have to find substantial funding to stay on the grid.
“That is why I have been working with Minister Charlie McConalogue for more than a year to see what support could be provided to Alex. I am delighted that this work has resulted in funding being made available.”
Deputy McCormack said Dunne's achievements should also be viewed in the context of the international exposure he generates for Ireland and his home county.
“Alex is travelling around the world competing at the highest level, and everywhere he goes he is flying the Irish flag and the Offaly flag.
“Formula 2 is an enormous international sporting platform. It races alongside Formula 1 and is broadcast across the world to a huge international audience.
“There is a value to having a young Irish sportsman performing on that stage that goes well beyond what happens on the racetrack.
“We have recognised the promotional value of international motorsport before. Eddie Irvine famously carried the shamrock on his helmet during his Formula 1 career, while Bord Fáilte sponsored Eddie Jordan's Formula 1 team, with the Bord Fáilte name and shamrock appearing on the Jordan car.
“That was at a time when Ireland understood the potential of Formula 1 to put the country in front of a worldwide audience. The global reach of motorsport today is even greater.
“One of the things I particularly enjoy on race weekends now is seeing Alex's supporters in the stands wearing their Offaly jerseys. You can be watching a race thousands of kilometres away and there, among the crowds, is the green, white and gold.
“Imagine what that exposure is worth to Offaly and to Irish tourism. Alex is bringing the name of a small county in the middle of Ireland to circuits and television screens around the world.
“He is effectively an international sporting ambassador for Offaly and Ireland every time he gets into the car.”
Deputy McCormack said the Government support is particularly important because motorsport has a funding structure very different to many other elite sports.
“Alex has got to this level because of exceptional ability, enormous commitment from himself and his family and the backing of sponsors who believed in him.
“We are talking about an Offaly driver competing just one step below Formula 1. There are very few Irish athletes competing week after week on an international stage of this scale.
“I want to thank Minister Charlie McConalogue for listening to the case I have been making over the past year and for recognising the particular circumstances Alex faces.
“Alex has done Offaly and Ireland proud. We cannot drive the car for him, but where we can help give an exceptional young Irish athlete the opportunity to compete and fulfil his potential, I believe we should,” Deputy McCormack said.