The reigning Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year has unveiled an ambitious schedule for the 2015 season that will see him competing in both the Irish and UK championships.
McMullan will drive the Bernard Dolan-prepared Motorsport Ireland Formula Ford 1600 in the 2015 All Ireland Formula Ford 1600 Championship and also in the National Formula Ford Championship in the UK.
The 22-year-old, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, will have Dolan and fellow Irish motorsport legend Mick Merrigan in his corner as mentors during the season and believes it will be a big boost to his championship hopes.
McMullan said: “It’s absolutely great to have our plans firmly set for the 2015 season and it’s going to be a busy one but I am more than ready to get going. I’m really looking forward to starting testing and working throughout 2015 with Bernard and Mick Merrigan, who will both be mentoring me throughout the year. The UK National Championships have some great tracks and I think it will set me up perfectly going into the important trophy races like the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy.”
In addition to his assault on the championships, McMullan is aiming to take home some silverware at the trophy races including the Vivion Daly Formula Ford Festival, Leinster Trophy, Martin Donnelly Trophy, Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone and the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.
McMullan’s season kicks off on March 28 at Co Down circuit Kirkistown for the first round of the All Ireland Championship. He will then move on to Silverstone in England the following weekend for the first round of the BRSCC UK Championship. Other UK tracks he will compete in during the season include Castle Combe, Oulton Park and Knockhill, in Scotland.
McMullan, a mechanic, won the historic Sexton Trophy last month when he was named 2014 Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year. His prize of a fully-funded season of Formula Ford racing in 2015 is backed by Motorsport Ireland, the Irish Sports Council and Dunlop.
He began his motorsport career in kart racing at the age of 10, and transferred to racing cars in 2009. He was the Northern Ireland Formula Ford 1600 champion in 2010, aged just 18. Last year, McMullan was runner-up in the final of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and also took third place in the biggest race on the Irish calendar, the Leinster Trophy.
Mick Merrigan said: “As we enter in to our third year with the Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year programme, we are happy to be able to take in some rounds of the National Formula Ford 1600 Championship in the UK. I have no doubt that Jonny has the speed and mental attitude to pose a successful challenge on both sides of the Irish Sea.” To keep up to date with Jonny's progress throughout 2015 you can follow on his Facebook page: Jonny McMullan Racing, twitter: @jmcmullanracing and his personal website www.jonnymcmullanracing.com
