Hagstrom in Titanic struggle

MOTOR SPORT/Weekly column: Pasi Hagstrom, Finnish champion in 1999, competes in this weekend's Titanic World Rally Sprint against…

MOTOR SPORT/Weekly column: Pasi Hagstrom, Finnish champion in 1999, competes in this weekend's Titanic World Rally Sprint against 40 Northern Ireland drivers including Tarmac champion Derek McGarrity, former national champion Peadar Hurson, Kenny McKinstry and David Greer.

Hagstrom will drive a Subaru Impreza for the Subaru World Rally Team, competing in an Irish event for the first time.

The drivers will have three timed runs tomorrow and Sunday over a specially laid-out track in Belfast's Titanic Quarter Yard, beside the Odyssey Arena.

The event differs from the usual rally sprint in that drivers will be on their own, with no co-drivers to read the pace notes.

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All the rallies in the Republic of Ireland - including the internationals, Galway Killarney, Donegal and Cork and the Dunlop National Rally Championship rounds - are held well outside the Dublin area.

A similar event to the Belfast rally sprint would undoubtedly be a major sporting attraction in the capital. In 2001 and 2002, a rally sprint drew large crowds of spectators to Punchestown racecourse, near Naas.

The event was cancelled this year, but the Punchestown Rally Experience is back on the Motorsport Ireland Calendar for 2004, but is only provisionally listed for July 3rd-4th.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Tomorrow and Sunday: Titanic World Rally Sprint, Belfast, practise session 11.00 a.m.; timed runs start at 12.30 p.m.; 2.00 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.