AN AMATEUR IRISH motorsport driver has been handed a 15-month ban for committing an anti-doping violation.
After competing at the Irish Touring Car Championship in Mondello Park on 7 June of last year, Gareth Hayden failed a drugs test as a banned substance was found in his system.
The positive sample showed traces of Benzoylecgonine, which is a metabolite of cocaine.
The 35-year-old was provisionally suspended by Motorsport Ireland on 6 July and, in a joint statement released with Sport Ireland today, it was confirmed that he will not be permitted to compete again until October 2016.
On top of that, Hayden’s results from 7 June 2015 have also been disqualified.
Read the full decision from the Irish Sports Council Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel here