John Gilleece has already won the RIAC/Coras National Rally championship, but the Belfast driver is wheeling out his Ford Escort RS Cosworth for Sunday's Fastnet Rally over nine stages in the Leap, Drinagh, and Rosscarbery areas of west Cork.
Gilleece and co-driver Mike Gibson are taking part in their first rally since they won the championship in early September. Dubliner Michael Barrable, in a Toyota Celica GT4, and Cork drivers Frank O'Mahony, in a Subaru Legacy, Liam McCarthy and Donal O'Donovan in Escort Cosworths and Denis Cronin (BMW) will be pushing for honours in the final championship event. Barrable is safe in second but O'Mahony can improve on his current joint fourth (with David Armstrong) if he finishes within the top three championship registered competitors.
The new RIAC National Rallycross championship gets into gear at Mondello Park on Sunday covering the Motokov 2000 for Group N cars up to two-litre, nonturbo and two-wheel-drive, plus the Faulkner "Star of Tomorrow" series to encourage newcomers. Both classes carry a prize fund of £1,000.
Dermot Carnegie in his Ford Escort Cosworth and Laurence Gibson at the wheel of a Metro 6R4 are favourites for overall victory. The championship covers six rounds and continues until May. The April 26th and May 31st events will be included in the British Rallycross Drivers' Association championship. New track extensions during the winter will not effect the rallycross course.
After four rounds of the Hewison Trophy Autotest championship J J Farrell, on 94 points, and Christopher Evans (on 90) have pulled out a healthy lead. But Eamonn Byrne on 75 points in fourth place, a point behind third-placed Liam Cashman, will hope to make up for some missed events and score a seventh win. Tomorrow's round is at Kildare, run by the Trials Drivers Club (TDC).
Galway Motor Club have confirmed that Statoil will again sponsor the opening round of the 1998 Tarmac Rally Championship. The Statoil Galway International Rally will take place on February 21st and 22nd, with rally HQ at the Corrib Great Southern Hotel and rally office at the nearby Regional Technical College.
The points scoring in the championship is being revised in the interests of keeping the series open right to the final round which, next year, will be the revised Cork 20 in October.
The Irish Schoolboy MCC close the Johnstown motocross season with a two-day youth motocross, featuring an international under21 challenge. Round nine of the MCUI Southern Centre Trials championship takes place tomorrow in The Vee/Mount Mellary area of the Knockmealdown Mountains above Clogheen, Co Tipperary. Brian McLoughlin, Stuart Martin, Gordon Clarke, Emmett Stokes, Michael Burton and Warren Hendy are the class leaders.
The enduro season draws to a close with the TORC Club's twoday event at Glendalough. Riders will tackle a 50-mile lap on both days. The MCUI S/C championships have been decided, as follows: Experts: 1, S Callaghan, 69 pts; 2, A Lappin, 61; 3, P Buggle, 55. Seniors: 1, G Byrne, 64; 2, G Lucas, 57; 3, D Mulvey, 42. Clubmen: 1, B Mulvey, 68; 2, M McErlaine, 38; 3, S Hayes, 37.
