Tipperary driver launches support initiative on International Women's Day

Above: Róisín Sweeney along with Roisin Kilcoyne, Nikki van Loon, Allison Doyle from VEI Global and Nicole Drought at Mondello Park, at the announcement of their partnership on International Women's Day. Picture: Celtic Photography

Ireland's top female racing driver Nicole Drought, from Roscrea, has launched a support initiative to help others progress in the sport.

20-year-old Róisín Sweeney from Naas will drive Nicole's Global GT Light race car in the 2024 Irish Global Championship. Róisín is a former Motorsport Ireland Karting Champion and has just won the Motorsport Ireland Student Sport Ireland karting drivers championship, representing ITC Carlow, where she studies Aerospace Engineering.

Nicole recently won the Irish Open Clubman Rallycross Championship for the second year in a row and is about to embark on a full MSVR Trackday Championship season in the UK, at the wheel of a modified Honda Civic.

Leo Nulty Promotions, who manage Nicole, have also brokered a deal that sees Naas company VEI Global, along with their partners Cradlepoint, backing the karting graduate for her debut car racing season.

As part of this groundbreaking partnership, VEI Global and Cradlepoint have equipped Róisín Sweeney's racecar with a state-of-the-art mobile connectivity device. This advanced technology enables real-time tracking of her car and provides uninterrupted and seamless connectivity to her car, as well as comprehensive data analysis on various performance metrics including speed, acceleration and handling.

Nicole Drought says "I have been lucky enough to receive a lot of help during my career and it's great to be able to help someone else now. I first met Róisín a few years ago at the Formula Female One Lap Challenge, where Ireland's top Sportswomen came to Mondello Park to take me on in a BMW M2.

"Róisin came down to spectate and she had just persuaded her parents to buy her a Junior kart. She has progressed massively since then and I was delighted when she managed to win the MI Tillotson T4 Championship in 2022. The Global GT series is very competitive but with a good testing programme I have no doubt she will be right in the mix in 2024".