Tributes are pouring in for the two men who died in a crash during a National Rally Championship event in Sligo yesterday.

Gene McDonald (35) and Daire Maguire (46) died after their car left the road and crashed into a wall at the Sligo Stages Rally yesterday afternoon.

Both men were experienced competitors who had been involved in the sport for between 15 and 20 years.

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Motorsport Ireland Sporting Manager Art McCarrick said his thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends this morning.

He said both men were popular and well-liked on the circuit.

“Unfortunately, in the case of a high-speed incident, with all the safety gear in the world, the most vulnerable part of any car are the occupants and tragically they both lost their lives yesterday,” he said.

“Both very experienced competitors; the driver had been competing for over 15 years and the co-driver for almost 20 years.

“Both were regular competitors in the border, midland and west region and had competed on the Sligo Stages Sally before.

“So, it is very tough, not only for the sport but for that particular region and the clubs that those individuals belong to.”

Footage

He said there are concerns footage of the crash is being shared on social media.

“The area the incident happened was between two junctions so there wasn’t easy access to it but we do believe there may be some footage circulating possibly from a drone,” he said.

“We would urge anyone who sees or receives images like that on social media to, first of all, report it and try and get it removed as quickly as possible and, secondly, to share it with both ourselves and An Garda Síochána to assist us with any investigations that we are going to carry out."

Accident

The accident happened on the second run of the circuit yesterday after the first was completed without any incidents of note.

Mr McCarrick said the investigations will determine if the weather played a role in the accident – but noted that conditions were wetter when the first run of the stage was completed in the morning.

He said the safety of competitors is “front and centre” in all Motorsport Ireland events.

“Motorsport Ireland would be very highly regarded across Europe for our strong safety record and our standards and the comprehensive event safety plans and all the rest of it,” he said.

“Unfortunately, accidents and fatal accidents can happen in any sport and tragically, it was our sport yesterday.”

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