Sport

Circuit of Ireland bows to the inevitable

The cancellation of the Circuit of Ireland, to have been run out of Enniskillen at Easter, was inevitable, especially as the …

By BRIAN FOLEY
Fri Mar 16 2001 - 00:00

The cancellation of the Circuit of Ireland, to have been run out of Enniskillen at Easter, was inevitable, especially as the stages would have been mainly concentrated in rural cross-border areas.

It is a bitter blow to the Ulster Automobile Club, Fermanagh District Council and business in the area, and also to enthusiasts who were excited about the new-look circuit. The Ulster AC is seeking a suitable new date for later in the year.

Meanwhile, the opening round of the Toshiba Tarmac Rally Championship will now be encompassed in the International Killarney Rally of the Lakes on May 5-6th.

Elsewhere, the Dunlop National Rally is scheduled to get under way with the Carlow stages on May 13th. This follows the cancellations of the Mayo stages and Monaghan Rally.

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The opening round of the Ford Ka Rally Championship is scheduled to run with the Carlow event. However, no final decision on these and other events will be made by Motorsport Ireland until April 5th in view of the foot-and-mouth situation.

Keith Dempsey of Ashbourne has won the 2000 Irish Formula Europa Championship. The 17year-old, who came into racing straight from karting, beat the more experienced Paul Dagg by a single point.

Dempsey, who will contest the prestigious Eurocup Formula Renault over nine races, is now Ireland's youngest international driver. He recently completed two successful days of testing over the French Grand Prix Circuit of Magny Cours, his first experience of driving on a Formula One track.

Dempsey is confident of a top10 finish in the opening round at Monza, Italy on March 31st.

The remaining Eurocup Formula Renault dates are as follows: April 15th, Brno (Czech Republic); April 29th, Magny Cours, (France); May 13th, Silverstone, UK; May 20th, Zolder (Belgium); June 3rd Lausitzring, (Germany, may be moved to August 26th); July 1st, Hungaroring (Hungary); September 9th, A1 Ring, (Austria); September 30th, Jarama, (Spain).

The Cork trio of Matthew Griffin, Peter Walsh and Robbie Coleman are contesting the British Formula Renault Championship. Walsh, Coleman and John O'Hara (Maynooth) had originally intended doing Formula Palmer Audi before the sudden demise of ex-Formula One driver Dr Jonathan Palmer's series.

Work continues apace at Mondello Park, with construction of a new stand, control tower and pits well under way. An added interest will be the museum, in which circuit owner Martin Birrane has already placed a number of Formula One, racing and rally cars.

The racing season is due to start at the venue on Easter Monday, again depending on the foot-and-mouth situation.