MOTORSPORT: Ray Breen (Kilkenny), Patrick Elliott (Cavan) and Aaron MacHale (Kilcullen) are the leading contenders for this year's Dunlop National Rally Championship title. All three are using Sunday's Midland Tyre Servicessponsored Birr Stages Rally as a shake-down for the championship, which starts with the Mayo Stages on March 11th.
Breen and MacHale drive Ford Focus WRCs and Elliott leads Martin Doherty, PJ McGrath, Noel McCarrick and Jack Sleator in Sunday's Subaru challenge. In Group N, Alan Ring, Willie Fannin and Tadgh Linehan spearhead the Subaru attack, and can expect serious competition from Mitsubishi drivers Gabriel Martin and Eamonn Daly.
Breen won the Dunlop National Championship in 2005 and is going for a hat-trick of wins on the Birr event.
In addition to the permitted maximum of 151 starters, the Birr and District MCC has had to turn down a further 120 applications.
Run out of Roscrea, the rally consists of four stages repeated twice. Service will be in Mountrath Mart after every two stages.
Phillip and Simon Morrow (Lisburn), Gary Jennings (Kest), Neil McCance (Comber), Connor McCloskey (Lirea) and Damien Connolly (Monaghan), Errol Clark (Irvinestown) and Greg Shinnors (Limerick, Daniel Barry (Enniskerry) and Mark Bowen (Cork), Alan Carmichael/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena) compete in the opening round of the 2007 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge in the Rally Sunseeker, which starts this evening from Bournemouth.
A1 Team Ireland started the 2006/2007 Grand Prix series with high hopes of challenging for championship honours.
However, it's been a sorry saga of accidents and mechanical woes, with only Michael Devaney's single point to show for so much effort and money.
Sunday's two street races at Durban in South Africa hold little promise of a reversal of Irish fortunes for Richard Lyons and the demoralised team.
Eddie Peterson opted to skip last Sunday's Hewison Trophy round in Monaghan in favour of racing and scoring a class win in the Mondello rallycross. As a result his previous lead of 29 points has been cut to eight by Eamonn Boyne, which over the next four rounds could cost
Weekend fixtures
Saturday: Cork MC, 4x4 trial, Rockgrove, Coachford, Co Cork, 11.0.
Sunday: Birr and District MC, Stages Rally, starts Roscrea, Co Tipperary, 9.0; Cork MC, 4x4 trial, Rockgrove, Coachford, Co Cork, 11.0; MEC, Hewison
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