MOTOR SPORT: Dermot Carnegie, the multi-Irish and British rallycross champion, starts as favourite to score maximum points in Sunday's opening round of the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park.
The Dublin driver - who also holds the record of 10 Hewison Trophy autotest championships - will be at the wheel of his turbo-charged 700bhp Ford Focus, which has almost the power of a F1 racing car, and which Colin McRae described as "awesome" after driving Carnegie's car at the Punchestown Rally Experience last year.
He faces strong competition from Helmut Holfeld (Cabinteely), Mike Manning (Wales) and Michael Coyne (Naas) in Ford Escorts; Lawrence Gibson (Banbridge), Dan Donoghue (Trim) and George Tracey (Foxrock) in Metro 6R4s and Michael Morris (Tullow) in a Subaru Impreza.
Dublin drivers Michael Cullen, Paddy Shovlin and Ciaran Caulfield will again contest the European Ferrari Maranello Championship this year.
WEEKEND FIXTURES - Saturday: Donegal MC, Navigation Trial, starts Pin Tavern, Letterkenny, 9.0 p.m. Sunday: Co Kildare MC, Rallycross, Mondello Park, 10.0 a.m.; Birr & District AC, Stage Rally, starts Templemore Arms Hotel, Co Tipperary, 10.0 a.m.
