Motor Sport Weekend previewGareth McHale (22) is fast emerging from the forestry stages to start a new family era in Irish rally sport, but he has many years of rally driving to do before he can begin to think about matching the record of rallies and championships won by his legendary father, Austin, in three decades of competing.
After finishing seventh in Galway, his first international event, he pulled out of the Circuit of Ireland and the Killarney Rally of The Lakes to mount a serious bid for the McCauley Trailers sponsored National Forestry Championship.
His strategy is paying off with victory on all three opening rounds, which gives him an eight points lead over Glenn Allen on 60 and 52 points, respectively. Pat Norris is third on 48, with John McCarthy a close fourth on 47 points.
In the co-drivers points standing, Paul Nagle leads on 60 points from Damien Connolly 53, Declan Tumilty 50, Tony McHugh 45, Peter Kavanagh 36 and Brian Lawler 33.
Austin McHale leads the British Rally Championship with 20 points after winning the opening round, and Gareth is fifth on 14 points following a successful UK debut in Wales.
Kevin Lynch is the number one seed in Sunday's round four of the Irish series, the Munster Club's Moonraker Forest Rally. Lynch won the 2004 championship and is super quick on tarmac and forest stages alike. He is, however, also prone to crashing, and put himself out of third place with an off road excursion in the recent Rally of The Lakes.
The Subaru driver will have three Toyota Corolla WRC drivers behind him in the seeded order of Allen, McHale and McCarthy. Next are two more Subaru drivers O'Kane and Norris, followed by a trio of Ford Escort Cosworths driven by Dominic McNeill, Dermot Kelly and James Murphy.
No doubt Lynch will set a blistering pace and McHale's priority must be to pace himself for championship points and keep his nearest rival Allen at bay.
Charlie Donnelly (Naas) has a clear lead over American Joe D'Agostino in the British Formula Ford Championship following double wins at Croft near Darlington on Sunday. He races in rounds seven and eight of the 20 race championship at Knockhill in Scotland on May 22nd.
Paddy Hogan (Killiney) has been nominated by motorsport Ireland as Dunlop Young Racing Driver for the month of April. Driving for the Sheffield Manor Motorsport Team, Hogan recently won his first Formula Renault race at Donington and is joint second in the British championship after the first two races out of 20 rounds.
WEEKEND FIXTURES Saturday: Co Kildare MC, 4x4 Trial, Cardtown Forest, Mountrath, Co.Laois, 11am. Sunday: Munster MC & CC, Moonraker Rally, starts Midleton, Co Cork, 9am; Castle AC, rallysprint, Athboy, Dunsany, Co Meath, 10.30am; Co Kildare MC, 4x4 Trial, Cardtown Forest, Mountrath, Co Laois, 11am.
