With record entries for rallying and an extremely healthy racing scene, 1998 was a vintage year for Irish motor sport, capped by that historic Jordan 1-2 by Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Austin McHale won the Tarmac Rally Championship in 1997 and John Gilleece won the National Championship. But could they do it again in '98? McHale threw down the gauntlet with victory on the Galway International and then won the Circuit of Ireland.
Having narrowly lost the Circuit, Bertie Fisher was determined to give everyone a driving lesson on the Killarney Rally of The Lakes. The Ulster-man's challenge failed spectacularly on the first stage when he rolled the Subaru Impreza. McHale was all set for another win only to be robbed literally at the last fence through mechanical trouble. Another Ulster-man, James Leckey, was there to pick up a lucky win in his Subaru as McHale's stricken Toyota Celica GT4 limped home in second place.
Fisher crashed out of the Donegal International, Andrew Nesbitt won in his Subaru and second was good enough for McHale to win the championship for a record fifth time. The big Mayo man will start the '99 season at the wheel of his tried and tested GT4, but hopes to be in one of the latest Corolla WRC's for the Circuit of Ireland at Easter.
Championship runner-up to McHale was Nesbitt, with Liam O'Callaghan third (and Formula 2 winner) and Fisher fourth. Leckey and Cork 20 winner Ian Greer tied for fifth place.
John Gilleece drove his familiar red Ford Escort RS Cosworth to victory in the Red Mills National Championship. In a ding-dong battle with Niall Maguire in a Subaru Legacy, Gilleece emerged the winner for the second successive year after a tie-break. Third was former forestry champion Dermot Kelly.
In racing, the Formula Opel Championship was won by Jason Pollock while Neil Shanahan emerged as the Ford Ireland Zetec champion. Formula Vee was the best supported racing class, the three grade winners being Brian Hearty (A), Enda O'Connor (B) and Karl Lennon (C). Hearty also won the Formula Vee Championship.
Matthew Gilmore (16) won the last Formula Ford 1600 title. Other championship winners were Shaun Magill (Dunlop Strykers), Gavin Smith (Fiat Uno Cup) and Liam Denning (Italian Cup).
Donal Griffin won the Dunlop Hillclimb Championship. Helmut Holfeld took the British Rallycross laurels and fellow Dublin driver Dermot Carnegie won the Irish Championship. Delgany's Eamonn Byrne took the RIAC Hewison Trophy for auto-tests. The National Autocross Championship was won by Jimmy Devane (Killarney).
First event of the New Year will be Saturday's MEC Sporting Trial which is expected to bring out some 50 "mud-pluggers" at Red Bog.
Saturday - MEC Sporting Trial, Red Bog, Blessington, 11.30: Co Monaghan MC Navigation Rally, Pillar House, Glaslough, Co Monaghan, 9 p.m.
Sunday - Dublin & District MCC, Open Trial, The Slade, Crooksling, Co Dublin, 11.0.
