A huge crowd of motorcycle racing fans is expected to descend on Dundalk this weekend for the start of the road racing season. All the road races scheduled for the first half of the year were cancelled due to foot-and-mouth, including the famous International North-West 200.
The Dundalk races should attract a big Northern following to see their road racing stars in action for the first time this year.
Adrian Archibald has taken over the mantle as the fastest Ulster rider on the Red Bull Honda Britain machines and he should be closely challenged by John Donnan on 1000cc and 600cc Yamahas.
Evergreen Robert Dunlop rides a 125cc Honda, starting a new season without his brother, the great Joey Dunlop, who was tragically killed last year in Estonia.
A host of other stars who will be going flat out over the fast 3.3-mile Darver Circuit - among them Barry Davidson, Adrian McFarland, Gary Jess, Sean Leonard and Trevor Keys.
Others to watch will be David Coughlan, Brian Coogan, Darren Burns, Nigel Moore, Davy Morgan and Des Darby.
The circuit is located five miles south-west of Dundalk on the Ardree Road and was used for the first time last year.
Two races, 250/350cc Classics and 201-400cc Support, will take place tomorrow afternoon after practice.
Roads close at 12.30p.m. on Sunday, followed by a six-race programme culminating in the Talk-To-Me Mobile Phones Open Race for the fastest riders.
There is more motor racing at Mondello Park in a two-day meeting that includes a full grid of Formula Palmer Audi single seaters from the UK, racing tomorrow and Sunday.
Dundalk driver Noel Roddy has been presented with a prize drive as leader of the Formula Europa series.
So, with his experience of Mondello plus lots of natural flair he is set to give the visitors some surprises.
The British front-runners in the turbo-charged Audi cars are Gino Ussi, Stephen Warburton and Gideon Creswell.
Also listed is Round Four of the closely-contested Dunlop RT2000 Saloon Championship.
Drogheda's Brendan Donegan leads on 43 points from Jonathan Fildes (29) with Brendan's brother David Donegan third on 24.
Reigning champion John Whelan won the opening race at Mondello, and Brendan Donegan has a Mondello and Kirkistown win to his credit.
Whelan is down in sixth place in the series on 20 points, behind Rod McGovern (22) and Derek Cunneely (21).
There are other races for Formula Vee, Fiat Uno and Punto and an Anglo-Irish Fiat challenge, and there will be the usual, huge Formula Vee entry.
The first midget car racing event of the year takes place at Gorkagh Park, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin on Sunday, starting at 3.00pm.
Hillclimbs and stage ralllies are to resume next week, when a revised list of confirmed events will be issued by Motorport Ireland.
Alan Dwyer (21) of Glanmire, Cork has been nominated Dunlop "Young Driver or The Month" for May.
Dwyer scored two Mondello wins and finished fourth at Kirkistown in the ultra-competitive Formula Ford Zetec racing in May, and is one of Ireland's up-and-coming young drivers.
