Champion Carnegie can cut loose

Motor Sport ColumnDermot Carnegie sensibly drove for points rather than for wins in the penultimate rounds of the British Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park. Having won the championship for a record sixth time, he is putting the pedal to the metal in Sunday's final round 10 at Brands Hatch.

The Dublin driver said: "I can go to the final round and be free to race without thinking that a finish in the points is better than winning the superfinals, and that will be fun."

Fun for Carnegie but not for those chasing the champion's Ford Focus. The British finale will see a powerful line-up headed by Carnegie's turbocharged four-wheel-drive Focus.

Championship runner-up Lawrence Gibson and George Tracey (Dublin) will drive Metro 6R4s. Ulsterman Gibson gave Carnegie a hard battle for the championship, only losing the lead in the two second-last rounds.

Armagh's Andrew Nesbit will be at the wheel of a Ford Escort WRC. Britain's Pat Doran is giving his Ford RS200 it's last rallycross fling at the Kent venue. Other top names entered are Will Gollop, Steve Mundy, Andy Grant and Kevin McCann.

Eoin Murray, Paddy Hogan and Emmet Queenan have been shortlisted for Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of The Year. Murray, winner of this year's European Alfa Challenge, is hoping to emulate fellow Dubliner Michael Devaney in twice winning the Dunlop Sexton Trophy, plus 32,000. Another Dubliner, Hogan had a successful first year in Formula Renault in Britain. Roscommon's Queenan scored five wins on his way to winning the Formula Ireland Championship.

For the second year ex-Formula One driver and team owner Martin Donnelly will be one of the judges of the skills test, in which the three finalists will drive a Formula Renault racing car. The results will be announced on November 30th.

Eamonn Byrne (Delgany) equalled Dermot Carnegie's long-standing record of 10 Hewison Trophy Autotest Championships in the 2003/'04 series and is going for a new record, but after the first three rounds he holds a two-point lead over San Johnston.

TOP TEN IN POINTS STANDINGS: 1 E Byrne 72, 2 S Johnston 70, 3 C Evans 68, 4 P Power 63, 5 C Grimes 62, 6 P Phelan 55, 7 L Cashman 51, 8 E Peterson 50, 9 F Lenehan 48, 10 M Cashman 42. Top three novices: 1 M Duran 12, 2 L Croston 11, 3 G Lynch 10.

FIXTURES: Saturday: Galway MC, Hewison Trophy Autotest, RTC, Dublin Road, Galway, 12.00pm; Co Cavan MC, Championship Navigation Trial, starts Cornafean, Co.Cavan, 09.09pm.Sunday: Connacht MC, Hewison Trophy Autotest, RTC, Ballinode, Co.Sligo, 12.00pm.