Motor Sport/ Rallycross: Austin MacHale celebrates his 53rd birthday in January. What drives him to run a hugely successful construction and plant machinery business, and to compete in rallying at the sharp end of such a demanding sport?

Only the man himself can answer such questions, although truth be known, he most likely does not know what dynamic force continues to drive him forward. It's certainly not ambition, for he has achieved so much in 40 decades of rallying.

Last weekend a broken steering arm cruelly robbed him of a top 15 finish in Rally Ireland, in which his sons Gareth and Aaron finished eighth and 12th, respectively, Gareth scoring a WRC point. Lesser mortals would have packed it in, but no way, Austin had the car repaired to run in the Super Rally section on the final day of a gruelling event. Does he takes this weekend off to relax and recharge the batteries? Not a bit.

After a week's work, he is competing in Sunday's Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park, driving George Tracey's Ford RS200. It will be MacHale's first rallycross event for several years, but undaunted, he takes on the top drivers in the highly-charged supercar class. This is the final round of the Irish championship led by Derrick Jobb on 61 points from Laurence Gibson (50) and Dermot Carnegie (48).

WEEKEND FIXTURES, Saturday- TDC, Autotest, Mondello Park, 10am; LMC, Sporting Trial, Boleynass, Ashford, Co Wicklow, 11.30am; Co Monaghan MC, Navigation Trial, starts Acron Centre, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, 9pm; Skibbereen & District CC, Navigation Trial, starts Ballycatten, Timoleague, Co Cork, 11.30pm. Sunday- Co Kildare MC, Rallycross, Mondello Park, 10am; Co Cavan MC, Autocross, Latton, near Cootehill, Co Cavan, 11.00am; Cork MC, 4x4 Trial, Rockgrove, Coachford, Co Cork, 11.00am.