Breen on course for notable double

MOTOR SPORT COLUMN: RAY BREEN is on course to add the Hankook National Forestry Championship to his Dunlop National Rally Stages title.

With two wins and a third out of the first three rounds Breen leads on 57 points from John Reid (48), Andrew Purcell (39), Denis Cronin (35), James Coleman (34) and Colin Britton (31).

Driving a Ford Focus WRC, Breen has made a successful transition from the tarmac stages to the forest tracks. His main rival is Andrew Purcell in a Subaru WRC, but after recording a win and a second-placed finish in the opening two rounds his engine packed up in the last round.

Last Sunday the 25-year-old Waterford driver won the Midland Moto event as co-driver to Jack Sleator. Round four is the Munster CC's Moonraker Rally run out of Lismore, Waterford on Sunday.

Ciaran Dwyer in a VW Golf is listed number one of 70 drivers in Sunday's Rallysprint run by the Connacht CC at the Saehan Media Factory in Hazelwood, Sligo. Alan and Gary Quinn in an Opel Manta, Ken McMorrow (Honda Civic), Michael Sweeney (Mitsubishi Lancer), Louise Healy, Kieran Carroll, Jarlath Barry and Diane Barry in Honda Civics should all be on the quick pace.

Dublin drivers Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin lead the British GT Championship following a recent race win at Oulton Park. They double drive a Ferrari F430 for the CR Scuderia team in Sunday's two rounds at Knockhill in Scotland.

Following Adam Carroll's first A1 race win in Mexico, A1 Team Ireland expectations are high for more A1 Grand Prix success at Shanghai in China. Ireland is eighth in the championship on 73 points, but can still overtake South Africa (88), Netherlands (80) and Germany (77). With only two more rounds (four races) to run, the top four of Switzerland (128), New Zealand (113), France (108) and Britain (95) are out of reach.

Whilst Irish rallying enjoys unprecedented popularity, the sad news from the Motorsport Commission (of Motorsport Ireland) is the Phoenix Park races scheduled for August 9th-10th are cancelled.

A brief notice in the Motorsport Bulletinstates: "It is, however, intended that the 2009 event will be held." Lack of major sponsorship and tremendous organisational difficulties have put a strain on the complex staging of the road racing event in recent years. With proper funding the Phoenix Park has the potential to host a superb international racing festival.

WEEKEND FIXTURES: Today: TDC, Irish Classic Retro Trial, starts Bray, Co Wicklow, 2pm. Saturday: Irish Classic Retro Trial, restarts Bray, 9.30am. Sunday: Munster CC, Moonraker Rally, starts Lismore, Co Waterford, 9am; Irish Classic Retro Trial, restarts Bray, 9.30am; Connacht MC, Rallysprint, Hazelwood, Sligo, 11.45am; Kerry MC, Autotest, Tralee Racecourse, 1pm.