50,000 expected at two-day meeting

Crowds of around 50,000 are expected to attend the Phoenix Park race meeting over the weekend. Admission to the event is free and a 20-race programme will ensure exciting racing with a wide diversity of cars in action.

The races are among the oldest motorsport events in Ireland or Great Britain, with the first event taking place in 1903. Such was the popularity of the meeting in those early days that by 1929 Ireland had its own Grand Prix that attracted a crowd in excess of 100,000 people.

This year racing will start at 12 noon on both Saturday and Sunday, with 10 races each day. In addition to the highly competitive races there will be a number of different demonstrations including an appearance by three motorcycle world champions - Phil Read, Jim Redman and Luigi Taveri - who will ride rare bikes from the Luke Lawlor collection. The Phoenix Park roads will be closed from 7.00 a.m to 7.00 p.m on both days.

The 70th anniversary of the first Irish Grand Prix takes place this weekend. The Irish Grand Prix consisted of two races, the Eireann and Saorstat Cup, run on handicap with the results based on aggregate times.

All the major works teams of the era raced at Phoenix Park, including Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and MG. The Russian Boris Ivanowski won the first Irish Grand Prix in 1929 driving an Alfa Romeo. The great German ace Rudolf Caracciola won in 1930 at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz SSK, while Norman Black beat the handicappers to win in an MG in 1931.

For financial reasons and because of a lack of interest by the Free State government, the Irish Grand Prix was abandoned after only three years. Motor racing continued, however, at Phoenix Park up to 1939 - the last race meeting being held a week after the outbreak of World War II.

Racing resumed at Phoenix Park in the 1950s and the great tradition of real road racing in Dublin's vast public park has continued unbroken to the present day. Jointly organised by the Irish Motor Racing Club and the Leinster Motor Club, this weekend's meeting includes a packed programme of races for Crossle Sports Cars, Formula Ford 1600, Formula Vee, RT2000 saloons, Italian and Fiat Uno saloons, Strykers and historics.

Arnie Black was the fastest driver in the Park last year, winning two races in his Crossle 9S and setting the fastest lap at 93.33 mph. He should again be the pace setter this year.

The Dunlop RT2000 saloons will race for the first time in Phoenix Park and will also be very quick in the hands of championship leader Jonathan Taylor, John Keaney, Gordon Kellett, Shaun Magill, John Whelan and John Morris. Brian Hearty and Jonathan Fildes are the men to watch in Formula Vee and Strykers, respectively.

A rare car worth watching will be the 41/2-litre Bentley raced by W B Scott in the 1929 Irish Grand Prix and now owned and raced by the ever exuberant David Dunn. Dublin veteran (60-plus) Des Cullen has been racing in the Park for no less than 40 years, and will be driving an Avenger saloon this weekend.

An added attraction will be the demonstration laps by a trio of famous multi world motorcycle championship winners - Phil Read, Jim Redman and Luigi Taveri. The trio will be riding historic Honda machines from the collection of Dubliner Luke Lawlor. There will also be rallycar, karting and autotest car demos, and numerous static displays.

Following his recent Stonethrowers' Rally win, Austin McHale is giving the new Toyota Corolla WRC a second outing on Sunday, in the ALMC's Red Mills National Rally Championship event in the Emo area of County Laois. With 145 points out of a possible 147, Niall Maguire can clinch the championship if he finishes in the top seven registered competitors.

Apart from McHale and Maguire, strong performances are expected from Hugh Martin Doherty and Daniel Doherty in Subaru Imprezas, Michael Barrable and John McCluskey in Toyota Celica GT4s, plus John Gilleece, David Armstrong, Ray Breen and Tommy Graham in Ford Escorts.

Barrable is fifth in the championship on 72 points and can overtake Armstrong (106) and Dominic Loughran (79) if he maintains the form that gave him maximum points in the Stonethrowers.

Irish drivers chase points in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship at Silverstone on Sunday. The points standings are: 1 - Richard Lyons (Hillsborough) 128; 2 - Richard Tarling (the British driver who won two rounds at Mondello in May) 117; 3 - Tim Mullen (Portadown) 109; 4 - Justin Keen (Essex) 107; 5 - Damien Faulkner (Moville, Co Donegal) 104.

Can Joey Dunlop add more wins to his amazing score of 47 at Dundrod? The 47-year-old road racing veteran rides five races in the 70th International Ulster Grand Prix tomorrow over the seven mile 706 yards Dundrod Circuit in Co Antrim, the record for which was set in 1994 by Welshman Jason Griffiths at an average speed of 126.10 mph.

Griffiths, the Dunlop bros (Joey and Robert), Ian Loughter (Wales), Ian Duffus (Scotland), New Zealander Blair Degerholm and Finnish superbike champion Raimo Kesseli, plus all the local hot shots, will all be a part of the usual exciting action over seven races tomorrow.