Martin Brendan Birrane (19 August 1935 – 9 June 2018) was an Irish businessman and former racing driver. Born in

Ballina, County Mayo Ballina ( ; ) is a town in north County Mayo, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg Ra ...

and educated at St Muredach's College, Birrane made his money in property development, with his company ''Peer Group''. He was the owner of the

Mondello Park Mondello Park is Ireland's only international motorsport venue and is located in Caragh, County Kildare off the R409 regional road, approximately from Dublin city centre. History The Mondello Park short circuit was designed on farmland ne ...

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, which is the only FIA 3 1/2 kilometre track in Ireland. It hosts domestic and international events. He competed in the

Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...

ten times as a driver, winning the GT class in 1985. In 1990, he set the then Irish land speed record of on the then-unopened Westlink, now known as the M50, in Dublin. Birrane owned Team Ireland, a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and fro ...

car racing team from 1991 to 1992. He was the owner of racing car manufacturer

Lola Cars Lola Cars Limited is a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley in Bromley, England. The company is now owned by Till Bechtolsheimer, who purchased it in 2022. Lola Cars endured for more than fifty years to become one of ...

from 1997 until the company was closed down in 2012. The ''Sunday Times'' Rich List 2011 valued his assets at €85 million. Birrane died in June 2018 at the age of 82.

Racing record

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) † Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

Complete World Sportscar Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ;Footnotes:

Complete European F5000 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)

Complete Shellsport International Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birrane, Martin 1935 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Irish businesspeople 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers British Touring Car Championship drivers Irish racing drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Sportspeople from Ballina, County Mayo Businesspeople from County Mayo Motorsport people from County Mayo