Motor Sport: Donie O'Sullivan, in a Ford Focus WRC, chases a second successive West Cork Rally victory this weekend in the Quality Hotels-sponsored event run out of Clonakilty.
Derek McGarrity is treating the event as a shakedown for his Skoda Fabia WRC in preparation for the Circuit of Ireland next week.
If his Czech car is on song the flying Ulsterman will surely set the fastest pace ever in the 27-year history of the event.
However, O'Sullivan will have his work cut out to keep in touch with McGarrity and hold off the Subaru trio of Liam McCarthy, Denis Cronin and Bob Fowden, who will certainly keep O'Sullivan and McGarrity honest.
Regular visitor Bob Fowden is the only driver to have won the West Cork three times and he could make it a fourth depending on the inevitable high retirement rate of the faster drivers.
In the West Cork Historic Rally, the top four seeded Ford Escort Mk2 drivers Gareth Lloyd, John Farrell, Frank Cunningham and Barry Duggan are split by third seed Todd Falvey in a Porsche 911.
The event starts from the Model Railway Village on the Inchidony Road at 10.25am tomorrow. Central service on both days will be at the West Cork Technical Park, Cork Road, Clonakilty.
The final round of the Hewison Trophy Autotest Championship is the Co Kildare MC's event at The Curragh on Sunday. Eddie Peterson with a maximum score of 300 points has already been declared champion for the first time. No changes either in the runner-up placings with Eamonn Byrne second and Christopher Evans third.
Dublin driver Eoin Murray, who was awarded the Dunlop Sexton Trophy by Motorsport Ireland as Young Driver of The Year winner in 2003 and 2004, has signed with the Italian PRS Team to contest this year's Alfa Romeo European Challenge.
Murray will race a 2.0 litre/220bhp Alfa 147 in the very competitive saloon racing series, which starts at the famous Italian Grand Prix circuit of Monza on April 9th/10th.
Last year Murray had five podiums out of 11 races in the series, scoring two race wins.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: TDC Autotest, Curragh Camp, Co.Kildare, 10am; Cork MC, West Cork Rally, starts Clonakilty, 10.30am; MEC Sporting Trial, Manor Kilbride, Brittas, Co Wicklow, 12pm; Co Monaghan Mc, Navigation Trial, starts Acorn Centre, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, 9pm.
Sunday: West Cork Rally, restarts Clonakilty, 10.30am; Carlow CC, Sprint, Pallas Karting, Tynagh, Portumna, Co Galway,10.30am; Co Kildare MC, Autotest, Curragh Camp, 11.30am.
