TWO of the biggest motorsport attractions of the year are listed for this weekend. Tomorrow a huge crowd of motorcycle road racing fans, estimated from 80,000 to 100,000 will line the 8.9 miles Portstewart-Coleraine-Portrush circuit in Co Derry for the always nerve tingling North-West 200 International races.
All eyes will be on the low flying Phillip McCallum, who won two races at the North-West last year, and then raced on at breakneck pace to win four Isle of Man TT's and five races at the Ulster Grand Prix.
But the hearts of the partisan crowd will of course ride with Joey Dunlop on his 500 cc Honda V-Twin Grand Prix bike in the Superbike and North-West 200 Open races. The lap record of 123,527 m.p.h. set by Scotland's Ian Simpson on a 750 cc Honda in `95 is certain to be broken given favourable weather conditions.
A new lap record is also on in Sunday's RAC Super Prix feature race at Mondello Park. In winning this race last year Johan Rajamaki of Sweden set a new record of 50.72 seconds, and he reckons that under 50 seconds can be achieved, particularly with improvements to Coca Cola and Dunlop corners.
The Swede drives a formula One type Footwork-Judd V10 and his main challengers will be Nigel Greensall and a driver yet to be nominated in a pair of similarly powered Tyrrells, Ron Cumming in another Footwork-Judd, Matthew Worlock (Reynard-Cosworth V8) and Formula 300 drivers Tony and Nigel Worswick, and Ulsterman Tommy Reid.
With a top prize of 1,000 guineas for a new lap record, plus points in the BOSS European Championship, the racing is guaranteed to be exciting. And of course, for a great many Irish enthusiasts, this is the only opportunity to watch Formula One-type racing cars in full flight in Ireland.
In addition to the RAC Super Prix, there is a full supporting programme of Formula Opel, Formula Ford Zetec and saloon races, Dublin veteran Vivion Daly leads the Formula Opel series with two wins out of three races and on 53 points is well ahead of Donal Loughrey (36), Ken Grandon (35). Adrian Pollock (25), Jonathan Fildes (19) and Mark Kershaw (18).
Drag racing is not some sort of bizzare orgy, but rather standing start acceleration runs contested by motorcyclists running two abreast on kilometre courses on close roads. There is a top quality entry of British dragsters competing in Sunday's meeting organised by the Munster Motor Cycle and Car Club at Halfway Village, Cork - European Prostock champion Leo Padgett, European championship winner Paul Willis and Yamaha-UK Drag Racing Team's Paul King on the world's fastest Prostock 1312cc Yamaha.
Cork's Eddie Galvin competed at York in England a couple of week's ago and set fastest time of 8.84 seconds, 151 m.p.h. Galvin heads the local entry, along with reigning Irish champion Mel Nolan and Cork woman Eibhlin Ni Luineachain, who regularly races a 250cc Suxuki at Mondello Park.
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