‘IT was always something that I wanted to get back to,’ commented Ballygurteen's Michael Keohane, who is planning a dramatic return to motorsport in next season's ten-round McLaren Trophy Europe series.

It will mark the end of a 21-year absence from the sport where he was a household name in Irish and British motorsport.

An Irish karting champion in 1996, he went on to race in single seaters from 1997 up until 2004, his last race was in the World Nissan series in April 2004.

During those years he competed in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Opel (where he became the youngest driver to win a round of the series in 1998) with Status Motorsport and Fortec Motorsport, Formula Renault in 2000 (UK and Europe) progressing to British and European Formula 3, Formula 3000 and the Nissan series. In October 2005 he tested Indy Cars at Fort Worth in Texas.

The untimely death of his father Paddy in 2002 was a major turning point in his motorsport career and he eventually stepped away from the sport to concentrate on the family business along with his sister Eibhlín.

The timing of leaving motorsport was something that was a constant in his mind.

‘There are very few mornings that when I get up, it doesn't cross my mind. It's always there and I want to do something before I get too old,’ Keohane said.

A re-connection with his friend and racing team boss Wayne Douglas (Douglas Motorsport) at last year's British Grand Prix accelerated the situation.

‘Wayne brought the McLaren series to my attention and said he would give me a test – that got me thinking and that's how it really started,’ he explained.

‘Last September I drove a car similar to the McLaren at Palmer Sport and then last week in Donington Park, I tested the McLaren for the first time. I really liked it. The day was wet and as it was a test day for many other drivers, the track was busy.

‘Over the years I didn't think about anything in hard tops, it was all about single seaters. This (McLaren) car is very similar to a single seater. It's a carbon fibre tub, the position you sit inside it is very similar to a single seater, the pedals are up and the steering wheel comes into you.'

Michael Keohane at Donington Park. (Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

On a comparison with previous cars, he added, ‘Huge changes, the car is like a spaceship. Prior to the test, they sent over the manual and I had to study that and all the buttons. Knowing the circuit (Donington Park) was a big help.'

Wayne Douglas told The Southern Star: ‘I suppose it's a long time but then he's (Michael) always talked about it. Michael has a big commitment to the company (Keohane Readymix) at home. This championship is over five weekends that are spread out over six months. The test went really well – he really got into it straight away. We had a pro driver (Martin Plowman) and he did a few runs in the morning when it wasn't as wet and Michael was out in the afternoon – they were on the same pace.'

He continued: ‘Going from 20 years ago in Formula3 with 170 horsepower to 600+ horsepower, 650hp with the push to pass, this is a big change. It's (McLaren) a proper piece of kit. The technology is more like a World Endurance car.'

Douglas revealed that Luca Magnusson will drive for the team next year in what is a new partnership between Douglas Motorsport and Paddock Motorsport, which will result in the teams sharing technical resources. The 16-year-old Dane is the younger brother of ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin and son of former F1 driver and multiple Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Jan Magnussen.

Although nothing has been signed as yet, the situation is set to gather pace quickly.

The rounds of the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe series are: 1. Monza, Italy (May 29th-31st); 2. Spa, Belgium (June 25th-27th); 3. Misano, Italy (July 17th-19th); 4. Barcelona, Spain (October 2nd-4th); 5. Portimao, Portugal (October 16th-18th). Each race weekend is a double-header.