MOTOR SPORT: The Hewison Trophy series of autotests for 2002/2003 gets under way with a double weekend fixture at Vernon Mount, Cork.
The first Hewison winners back in 1938 were Wilfie Fitzsimmons and Charlie Manders, and the list of winners includes such famous drivers as Cecil Vard and Paddy Hopkirk.
Pierce Cahill, winner in 1947, and three-time winner Stephen Griffin (1963-65) are the only drivers to have won both the Hewison Trophy and the Sexton Trophy speed championship - Cahill in 1950 and Griffin as recently as 1994.
The record of 10 Hewison wins is held by Dermot Carnegie. The Dublin driver has won the British Rallycross Championship four times, and only last Sunday scored another win to put himself into contention for a fifth championship with just two rounds to run. Carnegie was fifth in the last Hewison series, finished third only a few years ago and is still very competitive 35 years after his first Hewison win in 1967. That is some achievement in any sport.
Eamonn Byrne has eight Hewison wins, including five in a row (1993-97). He was beaten by JJ Farrell in the last two seasons, with only two points between Farrell and Byrne in the 2001/2002 series - the top 10 being: 1, Farrell 296 points; 2, Byrne 294; 3, Eddie Peterson 271; 4, Sam Johnston 268; 5,Dermot Carnegie 254; 6, Paddy Power 236; 7, Chris Grimes 235; 8, Conor McCormack 180; 9, Paul Phelan 178; 10,Trevor Hamilton 173.
Eoin Murray (19) from Firhouse, Dublin has joined Michael Devaney (Rathfarnham), Robbie Coleman (Cork) and Charlie Donnelly (Naas) as winner of a Dunlop Young Driver of The Month award. Six finalists will go forward for the Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of The Year award and a first prize of €32,000, which is backed by the Irish Sports Council and Irish Dunlop.
Devaney competes in Formula BMW in Germany, Coleman is the first winner of the Formula Ireland Championship, Donnelly recently scored a Formula Ford race win in Britain and Murray has posted good performances in Renault Clio Cup series in the UK.
Adrian Archibald, Robert Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, John Donnan and Martin Finnegan are just some of the big name motorcyclists competing for a prize-fund of €10,000 in Sunday's Dundalk Road Races. Racing will be over the 3.2 miles Darver circuit, located five miles south-west of Dundalk on the Ardee Road. Lap record holder Donnan won the Supersport 600 and Grand Final races at this meeting last year, whilst the evergreen Robert Dunlop added yet another 125cc race win to his impressive tally.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: Cork MC Hewison Trophy Autotest, Vernon Mount, Frankfield, Cork, 11.0; South-East MCC, Motocross, Clone, Ferns, 11.0.
Sunday: Galway MC Summer Rally, starts Shannon Oaks Hotel, Portumna, 10.0; Munster MC and CC Hewison Trophy Autotest, Vernon Mount, 11.0; South-East MCC Motocross, Ferns, 11.0; Louth MCRC Dundalk Road Races, roads close 12.0; Killarney and District MC Autocross, Cronin's Pit, Killarney, 12.0; MRCCI midget car racing, Brackna, Kiltegan (near Baltinglass), 2.0.
