Sport

Donnelly on course for title win in Clare

Eugene Donnelly is in pole position to win the Dunlop National Rally Championship title in Sunday's penultimate round, the Clare…

Brian Foley
Fri Sept 19 2003 - 01:00

Eugene Donnelly is in pole position to win the Dunlop National Rally Championship title in Sunday's penultimate round, the Clare Stages.

The Derry driver has scored six wins from seven events, where as his only serious rival Michael Barrable has won just two rounds, one of which was scored in Donnelly's absence. Barrable lost his championship lead to Donnelly after the recent Galway event. Donnelly currently leads on 138 points from Barrable on 126 and even if Barrable wins the Clare event, Donnelly only has to finish in the top six to add the Dunlop series to his National Forest Stages Championship success.

However, rally is always unpredictable and if Donnelly has a non-finish in Clare and Barrable takes the win, the championship will go down to the wire at the final round, the Hills of Donegal Rally on October 11th. The battle for runner-up placings is between Adrian McElvaney (88 points), James Harrison (79), Sean Gallagher (76) and reigning champion Niall Maguire (64).

The Clare Stages also includes a round of the Ford Focus Rally Championship, currently led by Oliver Stanley on 135 points with Gerry Keyes in second, some 25 points back, and David Delaney in third on 89 points.

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Irish drivers racing abroad this weekend include Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin in the penultimate round of the European Ferrari Challenge at Magny Cours in France, and Michael Devaney and Robby Coleman in Rounds 17 and 18 of the Formula BMW Championship at Zandvoort in Holland. Cullen is likely to finish second in the Ferrari Challenge. After scoring two recent wins in Austria, Devaney is hoping to improve on his third place in the in the Formula BMW series standings, whilst Coleman can improve from eighth to fifth.

Charlie Donnelly competes in the final two rounds of the UK Formula Ford Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire, hoping to improve on his eighth position in the championship.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Saturday & Sunday - TDC, Irish Classic Retro Rally, City West Hotel, Dublin, 10.00am start (both days).

Saturday - MEC, Rhodes Cup Sporting Trial, Glenealy, Co.Wicklow, 12.30pm.

Sunday - GSMC, Germaines of Baltinglass Stage Rally, starts Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, 9.45am; Clare Motor Club-West County Hotel Clare Stages Rally, Starts Ennis, 11.15am; Co.Kildare MC, 4x4 Production Vehicle Trial, Abbeyleix, Co Laois, 12.00pm.