Sunday's Birr Single Stage Rally will be intense as 131 crews pitch their skills and daring over three runs of the 10 miles stage in the Kinnity-Shinroan area. Mervyn Wedlock (Cavan) leads a quartet of Ford Escort Mk2s completed by Mick McQuaid (Monaghan), David Percy (Tipperary) and Gordon Rogers (Balieboro).
John O'Sullivan (Ennis) is seeded number five in a Peugeot 205, followed in the starting order by Tom Holton (Enfield) in an Escort Mk2, James Foley (Navan) Honda Civic, Pat Higgins (Granard) in yet another Escort, Freddie Walker (Athlone) Nova and John Hickey (Killarney) Ford Sierra.
Sunday's Hewison Trophy event in Monaghan is Round 11 of the national autotest championship, and with just three rounds remaining, it's down to just two drivers, J J Farrell on 272 points and Eamonn Byrne on 271. For Farrell it would be a first Hewison and he must now pull out all the stops and avoid enforced errors if he is to stop Byrne from making it nine wins.
The mud pluggers compete in the Leinster MC's event on the side of the Sugarloaf Mountain tomorrow. Last Saturday's "shoot out" between Philip Erskine and Alan Watkins ended in a dramatic draw. After three observed sections they could not be separated, and rather than toss for the overall winner of (January's) Freeman Cup Trial, the sporting decision was that they would each hold the Premier Award for six months.
The Erskine twins then retired from the Jenkins Cup Trial when their incredibly successful Erskine-Harley Davidson suffered a rare chassis breakage. But Erskine honour was upheld by winner Ken Fildes driving the ErskineYamaha.
As reported in this column last week, much work is in progress at Mondello Park in readiness for what promises to be a very entertaining motor and motorcycle racing season. The stand, control tower and pits have all been demolished and the framework for new structures is in place. However, the Carlow Car Club's race meeting, scheduled for March 18th, has been cancelled as there is no way the venue will be ready. The first Mondello races of 2001 will now be held on April 16th.
Dublin & District MCC has donated £378,850 to the National Council for The Blind since 1952 from the Annual St Stephen's Day Fancy dress Trial. On Monday, Harry Finlay, president of the D&D, will present a cheque for £35,350 (raised at the 2000 event) to the Council at P V Doyle House, Drumcondra.
