MOTOR SPORT: Andrew Nesbitt and Derek McGarrity will light up the hills of Donegal this weekend as the pacemakers extract max power from their flame-spitting Subaru WRCs over the classic stages of the Shell Donegal International Rally, round four of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Nesbitt is joint second in the points, on 27, with Eugene Donnelly. Leader McGarrity, on 35, is the only driver likely to match Nesbitt for pace.
Austin McHale and Eamonn Boland are unlikely to challenge the three top-seeded Ulstermen, but should fill the minor places.
Colm Murphy leads the Group N category. Phil Collins in an Escort Mk.2 heads the concurrently run National Rally, and in the Historic event the favourites include Mini Cooper drivers Frank Cunningham and Mervyn Johnston, Phil McDowell in an Escort Mk.1 and Adrian Kermode in a Porsche 911.
Formula Vee racing is the main attraction at Mondello, which has attracted over 70 drivers. British and Irish championship races will be run tomorrow. Qualifying heats will lead up to Sunday's Formula Vee Festival final. Robbie Parks, Trevor Delaney, Paul Heavey and Ken Elliott spearhead the Irish challenge.
The programme includes races for Formula Sheane, Formula Ford 1600, Strykers, Historics and Formula Libre.
Irish drivers racing at Oulton Park this weekend are Colin Turkington and Gavin Smith in the BTCC, Paddy Hogan and Emmet Queenan in Formula Renault, and Damien Faulkner in the Porsche Cup, where he is second overall.
A quartet of Irish drivers race at Zhuhai, China, in rounds four and five of the Asian Formula Three Championship. Last year's runner-up, John O'Hara, is third on 32 points, well down on Anada Mikola (75).
Greg Murphy and Lee Farrell scored Promotion Class wins at Zhuhai in May. Murphy leads the class on 57 points from Moreno Soeprauto (50) and the former karting ace Farrell (35). Former Formula Sheane and Vee driver Robert Block will make his Asian racing debut in China.
Michael Devaney contests rounds five and six of the German Formula Three championship at Sachsenring. The Dubliner is seventh on 11 points.
MotorSport Vision Championship leader Peter Dempsey (Ashbourne) continues his UK Formula Ford 1600 campaign with two weekend races at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.
A cavalcade of veteran and vintage cars will leave the MDL complex on the Naas Road at 2.30pm today on the Mercedes-Benz International Gordon Bennett Rally. The cars can be viewed before tomorrow's 9.30am start at the Stand House Hotel behind The Curragh racecourse.
In France, the big weekend event is the Le Mans 24 Hours.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Today: Donegal MC, Shell Donegal International rally, Letterkenny, noon; IVCC, Mercedes-Benz International Gordon Bennett Rally, Mercedes-Benz Centre, Naas Road, 2.30pm.
Saturday: Shell Donegal International Rally, Letterkenny, 9am; Gordon Bennett Rally, Stand House Hotel, The Curragh, Co Kildare, 9.30am; Tipperary LC & MCC, Veteran & Vintage Car Rally, Clonmel, 10.30am; IMRC, Mondello Park, 11am; Midland MC, Autocross, Kilrooskey, Co Roscommon, 11am.
Sunday: Donegal International Rally, Letterkenny,10.20am; Tipperary V&V Rally, Clonmel, 10.30am; IMRC, Mondello Park, 11am; Midland MC, Autocross, Kilrooskey, 11am.
