Eoin Murray
Encyclopedia
Eoin Murray is an Irish
auto racing
driver, born 9 December 1982. After winning the European Alfa Romeo
147 Challenge in 2005, he made his BTCC
debut in the middle of 2006.
s and Ford Fiesta
s in one-make championship, doing well enough to be nominated for the Young Irish Racing Driver of the Year award. In 2001 he did the full Fiesta UK Championship winning the Newcomers Cup and collecting 2 Pole Positions, 2 Fastest Laps & 8 Podium finishes. He crowned that achievement by winning the Jimmy Millard Trophy. He switched to Clio’s for 2002 competing in the Elf Renaultsport UK Clio Cup where he scored 2 podium finishes and took 7th overall in the championship which was no mean achievement in his rookie year. Eoin stuck with the Clio’s for 2003 and had 4 race wins, 4 second places, & 2 third places and came third overall in the Elf Clio UK Championship. During this time he continued to compete in British & Irish Rallycross in the Stockhatch class, in a self run Peugeot 205 GTI, where he enjoyed considerable success and took several race wins and podium finishes. He was awarded the Dunlop/ Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the year for 2003. This accolade together with a substantial boost to his budget from Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council launched his move to Europe where he competed in the European Alfa Romeo Challenge.
Eoin competed in the European Alfa Romeo Challenge again in 2005 and started as one of the favourites. Eoin did not disappoint and won the championship in Valencia along with 9 podium finishes, 5 fastest laps, 4 pole positions and 3 lap records. And in the process winning a 05 spec Alfa 156 S2000 worth 200,000 euro, the biggest prize an Irish driver has ever won. He also won the 05 Rallycross Stockhatch Championship and these achievements won him the accolade as Ireland international driver of the year.
-spec Alfa 156, although not the funding or team to run it. He contacted Quest Racing
, which was essentially the GA team minus its former boss Gary Ayles
and they sought funding. This arrived in time for round 5 at Croft, just days after team boss Ian Blackman died in a motorcycle accident. Despite the weight penalty for mid-season entrants in their first round, he finished 10th in race one to score his first championship point. At Donington Park
he was more competitive, running 6th in race one until contact, before finishing 6th in race 2, and running third in race 3 before going off in slippery conditions.
Murray continued to drive his Quest Racing
Alfa in the BTCC
in 2007. He qualified 12th at round one, but an engine failure prevented them taking part in the races. After a 9th-place finish in race one at Thruxton
, he had an engine failure in race 2, leaving the team unable to start round 3 http://www.btccpages.com/rounds/2007/10_11_12/murraypre.php. The misfortune continued at Brands Hatch
meeting 2 in October, when he was one of 11 drivers involved in a shunt triggered by Mat Jackson
. The car was not fully repairable and a lack of parts causes him to miss the next round at Knockhill http://crashnet.cars.msn.co.uk/news_View.asp?cid=10&id=153194. The team did not continue for 2008, leaving Murray without a drive, although he participated in the SEAT León Eurocup
, finishing third in the standings.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
driver, born 9 December 1982. After winning the European Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
147 Challenge in 2005, he made his BTCC
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
debut in the middle of 2006.
Early years
Murray had a successful career in karts, culminating in victory in the Formula A championship of 1999. He dabbled in rallycross that winter, winning 6 races. In 2000 he raced FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
s and Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
s in one-make championship, doing well enough to be nominated for the Young Irish Racing Driver of the Year award. In 2001 he did the full Fiesta UK Championship winning the Newcomers Cup and collecting 2 Pole Positions, 2 Fastest Laps & 8 Podium finishes. He crowned that achievement by winning the Jimmy Millard Trophy. He switched to Clio’s for 2002 competing in the Elf Renaultsport UK Clio Cup where he scored 2 podium finishes and took 7th overall in the championship which was no mean achievement in his rookie year. Eoin stuck with the Clio’s for 2003 and had 4 race wins, 4 second places, & 2 third places and came third overall in the Elf Clio UK Championship. During this time he continued to compete in British & Irish Rallycross in the Stockhatch class, in a self run Peugeot 205 GTI, where he enjoyed considerable success and took several race wins and podium finishes. He was awarded the Dunlop/ Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the year for 2003. This accolade together with a substantial boost to his budget from Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council launched his move to Europe where he competed in the European Alfa Romeo Challenge.
European Alfa Challenge
For 2004 he switched to racing in mainland Europe, in the Alfa Romeo 147 challenge. He lacked circuit knowledge in his rookie season, but still won 2 races to come 4th overall. In 2005 he converted all this into a title winning season. He only won one race, but took 4 pole positions, 9 podiums and 4 lap records. However his efforts did not go unnoticed in Ireland where he again won the Dunlop/Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the year for the second time.Eoin competed in the European Alfa Romeo Challenge again in 2005 and started as one of the favourites. Eoin did not disappoint and won the championship in Valencia along with 9 podium finishes, 5 fastest laps, 4 pole positions and 3 lap records. And in the process winning a 05 spec Alfa 156 S2000 worth 200,000 euro, the biggest prize an Irish driver has ever won. He also won the 05 Rallycross Stockhatch Championship and these achievements won him the accolade as Ireland international driver of the year.
BTCC
This earned him a factory-prepared WTCCWorld Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
-spec Alfa 156, although not the funding or team to run it. He contacted Quest Racing
Quest Racing
Quest Racing is a UK auto racing team headed by Mike Thompson, the squad having been rebranded from its former guise as GA Motorsports when Thompson bought the controlling stake from original founder Gary Ayles. In mid-2006 the team began running an Alfa Romeo 156 for Irishman Eoin Murray in the...
, which was essentially the GA team minus its former boss Gary Ayles
Gary Ayles
Gary Ayles is a race car driver born in the United Kingdom.He competed in the British Touring Car Championship in 1991, filled in for one race in 1992, and returned in 1996 for Nissan, after four years as a works Peugeot driver in Italian Superturismo...
and they sought funding. This arrived in time for round 5 at Croft, just days after team boss Ian Blackman died in a motorcycle accident. Despite the weight penalty for mid-season entrants in their first round, he finished 10th in race one to score his first championship point. At Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
he was more competitive, running 6th in race one until contact, before finishing 6th in race 2, and running third in race 3 before going off in slippery conditions.
Murray continued to drive his Quest Racing
Quest Racing
Quest Racing is a UK auto racing team headed by Mike Thompson, the squad having been rebranded from its former guise as GA Motorsports when Thompson bought the controlling stake from original founder Gary Ayles. In mid-2006 the team began running an Alfa Romeo 156 for Irishman Eoin Murray in the...
Alfa in the BTCC
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
in 2007. He qualified 12th at round one, but an engine failure prevented them taking part in the races. After a 9th-place finish in race one at Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
, he had an engine failure in race 2, leaving the team unable to start round 3 http://www.btccpages.com/rounds/2007/10_11_12/murraypre.php. The misfortune continued at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
meeting 2 in October, when he was one of 11 drivers involved in a shunt triggered by Mat Jackson
Mat Jackson
Mat Jackson is an English racing driver.Jackson and his family-ran team contested the British Touring Car Championship in 2007 and 2008, in each case using the BMW Andy Priaulx used to win the previous year's World Touring Car Championship. Jackson run under the Jackson MSport banner in 2007, and...
. The car was not fully repairable and a lack of parts causes him to miss the next round at Knockhill http://crashnet.cars.msn.co.uk/news_View.asp?cid=10&id=153194. The team did not continue for 2008, leaving Murray without a drive, although he participated in the SEAT León Eurocup
SEAT León Eurocup
The SEAT León Eurocup was a one-make touring car racing series which uses SEAT Leóns, run by SEAT Sport.-Background:The championship began in 2008, making its debut at Circuit de Valencia, as a support series for the World Touring Car Championship, in which SEAT is a leading manufacturer...
, finishing third in the standings.