Motorsport column: With only three rounds remaining in the Hewison Trophy Autotest Championship, Eamonn Byrne leads Eddie Peterson by six points, and the series could well be decided in Rounds 14 and 15 this weekend at Tralee racecourse.
If Byrne takes the title he will equal Dermot Carnegie's long-standing record of 10 Hewison Championships. After winning four rounds in a row, Peterson could win the Hewison for the first time, but Byrne will be hard to beat. The TDC International Trophy Autotest is listed for March 20th with the final Hewison Trophy round 16 on March 21st.
Meanwhile, Wicklowman John Naylor takes over from Cecil Sparks as chairman of Motorsport Ireland, the governing body of Irish motorsport.
Naylor (41) brings a wealth of competition and organisational experience to Motorsport Ireland. He was chairman of Motorsport Ireland's Technical Committee for three years and chaired the Hillclimb and Sprint Committee in 2003. He was also chairman of the Wexford Motor Club for the past four years.
Frank Fennell has been competing in rallies and other events for around 40 years. He now specialises in classic car rallies, having made a courageous comeback from a serious rally accident some years ago. Fennell recently won the Winter Challenge Rally for the third year in a row driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SE to victory. Fennell and navigator Kevin Savage have now scored a remarkable 15 outright wins in classic car events. The Winter Challenge was run in severe weather conditions from Maastricht in Holland to Monte Carlo. Fennell and Savage were presented with the winners trophy by Belfast-born Paddy Hopkirk who won the famous Monte Carlo Rally in 1964 in a works Mini-Cooper S.
A historic racing car makes a nostalgic return to Ireland in April. The 1930 Alvis Silver Eagle, raced by Michael May to victory at Phoenix Park in 1938, will be driven by Chris Podger of Wiltshire on the Hero Irish Trial. This classic car event will run for six days, from April 19 to 24th, starting near Dublin and finishing in Belfast.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: MEC, Sporting Trial, Glenmalure, Co Wicklow, 12.0. Saturday/Sunday: Kerry MC, Hewison Trophy Autotests, Tralee Racecourse, 12.30. Sunday: Castle AC, Autocross, Latton, Co Monaghan, 12.0; Birr & District AC, Stage Rally, starts Racket Hall Hotel, Co Tipperary, 12.0.
