By Evan Dalton Photo : Fergal Phillips Ireland’s top private landlord believes Rent Pressure Zones [RPZs] have “choked” the supply of properties, amid potential reform of the regulation by the Government.  Eddie Byrne, CEO of Irish Residential Properties REIT, who owns approximately 4000 properties in Dublin and Cork, has welcomed the intent from the government to reform current RPZ regulation as he believes it is decreasing the number of available properties for tenants.  RPZs were introduced into Ireland in late 2016, with the rent cap set at 4 per cent per annum. Annual rent prices were then limited to the lower of the general rate of inflation, or 2 per cent per annum, from December 2021.  Contrary to this legislation however, a Housing Commission report in 2024 showed that rents for new tenancies in Dublin’s RPZ rose by 6.5 per cent in 2023, while existing tenants saw just over a 5 per cent increase.  Despite 42 per cent of landlords leaving the market in...

By Evan Dalton  Photo Credits : Sean McClements On the 26th of March, 2024, the world was greeted by the next star of RTA Virtual Motorsport, Dylan McClements. After starting third in Heat 3 of that evening’s action at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, McClements led a dominant race, picking up his first RTA win seconds clear of Evan Walsh and Jason Smyth.  Since this race, Dylan McClements has been a name that will be very familiar to regular viewers of RTA. Why, however? Let’s look back at his last year of sim racing and how at just the age of 14, Dylan McClements is starting to become a household name in the world of Irish virtual motorsport.   McClements’ first race win came at Round 3 of the TH Jordan GT4 Cup. At the next event in Sebring, which came two weeks later due to iRacing update issues, the form did not really continue. He managed to snatch a podium in Heat 2, but overall it was a difficult week.  There was a steady trickle of podium finishes across t...

By Evan Dalton Jason Smyth has won his 5th RTA Virtual Motorsport championship on countback as he finished the season tied on points with rival Ronan Doherty.  The two protagonists in a season filled with drama, controversy and unbelievable on track action both finished on 519 points after 24 races [8 weeks], and the championship was decided on race wins, Smyth beating Doherty by seven.   Heading into the season finale, Doherty was positioned 27 points behind Smyth when drop rounds were calculated. He needed all the help he could get from his Team DDR stablemates, and it started well with Dylan McClements taking his second pole position of the season.  Heat 1  Smyth took the race lead from McClements on the opening lap, as Doherty gained numerous positions to break into the top 10. A rare error saw Jordan Kelly have to head to the pitlane for repairs.  The long ‘Kemmel Straight’ just after the famous ‘Eau Rouge/Radillon’ complex gave drivers plenty of oppor...

By Evan Dalton for TheCollegeView.ie   Credit : Getty Images  The NBA faces another suspension scandal as Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. has received a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.  The NBA confirmed that the 30-year-old tested positive for Tramadol, a medication used for short-term pain relief.  Portis apologised for the incident in a statement released by the Bucks, stating that he made “an honest mistake” by taking the substance to treat an elbow injury.  Portis’ agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN that Portis had taken the medication thinking it was an alternative painkiller Toradol which is approved by the NBA.  The main difference between the two medications is that Tramadol is an opioid whereas Toradol is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.   Portis – currently averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists this season for the Bucks – will lose out on $2.85 million in sal...

By Evan Dalton for TheCollegeView.ie Photo Credit : Icon Sportswire  With the 2025 season of the NTT Indycar Series fast approaching, Doug Boles has been named as the new president of the series, alongside his role as President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  The announcement comes as part of many senior leadership changes by Penske Entertainment, owners of the series. This poses the question, what will the future of America’s premier single seater racing championship look like?  Boles will succeed Jay Frye as president of the championship, a role that Frye held for over 10 years. Frye was criticised at times, but made some brilliant decisions to turn Indycar into a modern day giant in the motorsport world. Frye’s biggest achievement was introducing the ‘aeroscreen’ safety system on the cars, enhancing the safety of the drivers. Frye also navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced the first hybrid energy system and has made Indycar one of the most accessible forms o...

By : Evan Dalton for RTA Virtual Motorsport Jordan Kelly and Jason Smyth both took victories in Round 7 of the RTA Virtual Motorsport F4 Championship at the Nurburgring, as Smyth took a large step towards securing the championship victory.  Smyth took both his ninth and tenth race victories of the season, as title rival Doherty suffered another plagued evening.  Kelly once again was the dominant force in qualifying, taking his third podium of the season. Both Kelly and Doherty were within a tenth of a second, and it boded nicely for the evening ahead.  Heat 1  The initial jump went the way of Doherty, but Kelly defended into the first corner. The opening laps first appeared to be calm, but out of nowhere both Doherty and Smyth attacked the race leader.  What followed was five minutes of synchronized pandemonium from the top three. Overtake attempts left, right and centre, but all squeaky clean. Doherty got in front with two minutes to go.  In the meantime, ...

  By Evan Dalton for Motorsport.ie On the morning of March 20th, silence fell on the motorsport world as the news emerged of the passing of former teamboss of ‘Jordan Grand Prix’ and F1 personality Eddie Jordan. Jordan had been suffering from prostate and bowel cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family in Cape Town, South Africa. The memories of all who worked, spent time with, and were fans of Jordan’s started to be shared across social media. The story of Jordan is admired across the world of racing.  Jordan was born in Dublin in 1949, and grew up in both Dartry and Bray, County Wicklow. His father Patrick was the son of a senior nun, and worked as an accountant for the ESB.  Jordan’s initial plan for life was to become a priest, which was no doubt influenced by his time studying at the Synge Street Christian Brothers School. He ended up however taking a six week accountancy course, and found a home at the Bank Of Ireland. During a bank strike in 1970, Jord...

By : Evan Dalton   Image : Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo Three time NTT Indycar Series Champion Alex Palou has won his second race of the season as he beats Arrow Mclaren’s Patricio O’Ward to the victory at the Thermal Club.  The Spaniard charged down O’Ward late in the race to achieve back-to-back victories, and become the first driver to sweep the first two rounds of the season since his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon did so in 2020.  It was a positive race for Arrow McLaren, as Danish driver Christian Lungaard came home behind his teammate O’Ward in third.  The race started superbly for Mclaren, with O’Ward generating a commanding lead over his teammate early on. Neither were challenged by Palou until the halfway mark, when savvy strategy calls from Chip Ganassi Racing gave their driver an advantage in the final stint by allowing him to use the quicker alternate Firestone tyre, while O’Ward was on the slower primary compound.  Palou was able to dispa...