Ferrari's Eddie Irvine chases World Championship points and possibly his first Formula One win in Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. But Irvine is not the only Irish driver competing abroad this weekend. Two fellow Ulstermen compete in Round Two of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship at Imola tomorrow - Johnny Kane and Kevin McGarrity.
Kane, 1997 British Formula three Championship winner driving for Paul Stewart Racing, had a big 160 m.p.h. accident in pre-season testing at Silverstone and only managed to finish 12th in the opening 3000 race held at Germany's new Oschersleben permanent circuit near Magdeburg, located between Berlin and Hanover, on Easter Sunday.
Damien Faulkner (22) of Moville, Co Donegal, on the Inishowen peninsula, will contest the new and very exciting Formula Palmer Audi 16-race series in Britain, due to start on Sunday but put back to May 9th. The new Formula Palmer Audi is the brainchild of former Formula One driver and television commentator Dr Jonathan Palmer.
The identical Formula One "look alikes" are powered by 1.8 litre Audi turbo charged engines, producing 250 bhp for pulsating performance, with an additional 20 horse power available to the driver three times during a race via a turbo boost button - for extra acceleration in overtaking.
Faulkner has sponsorship from Audi Ireland, Eircell, Sioen Protective Clothing, Pioneer, Stena Line and Mobil Ireland, and also Bord Failte. Dr James McDaid, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation has appointed him one of five Sporting Tourism Ambassadors.
He is also a top candidate for championship honours having competed to good effect in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Renault in Britain, having won the (Irish) Golden Pages Star of Tomorrow title in Formula Ford 1600 in 1994. The big prize for the winner is a guaranteed Formula 3000 drive in 1999, worth circa Stg £450,000!
Alan Morrisson of Killyleagh, Co Down won the opening round of the Ford Credit Fiesta Championship at Thruxton on Easter Monday, with Dublin's Michael Cullen coming through from 13th on the grid to finish seventh.
There is a virtual Irish invasion of Wales on Sunday, with double rounds of three Irish Formula Ford Championships featured at the Pembrey circuit near Cardiff. In the Ford of Ireland Zetec Championship there is a threeway tie, with Alan Kelly, Chris Paul and George McAlpin on 23 points each, in front of Philip Kehoe 21, Neil Shanahan 20, Mark O'Connor 17 and the evergreen Derek Martin Daly 15.
Brian Ward of Ashbourne competes at Brands Hatch in Round two of the Dunlop British Saloon Championship on Sunday. Last year he contested eight of the 14 races and still finished eighth overall.
Barry Squibb has beaten Dermot Carnegie at Croft and Lydden in the current British Rallycross Championship, and the Torquay hotelier takes on Carnegie, Helmut Holfield, John Maloney, etc at Nutts Corner in Co Antrim tomorrow and at Mondello Park on Sunday.
The hillclimbers go West at the weekend for the Galway Motor Club's two Dunlop Championship rounds at Corkscrew Hill, between Lisdoonvarna tomorrow; and on Sunday on the Ballyalaban hill near Ballyvaughan in the famous Burren area of Co Clare. After the first two rounds, reigning champion Ronnie Maybin leads.
All the hardy annuals come out of winter hibernation for the first of the Irish motorcycle road races, tomorrow's Cookstown `100' races over the 6.1 miles Sherrygroom circuit near Stewartstown, Co Tyrone - first held in 1922. The 101.62 m.p.h. lap record was set by Joey Dunlop in 1994 and he won the Open Race last year with the Cookstown `100' Final won by James Courtney. Joey and his brother Robert Dunlop, Derek Young and Denis McCullough head this year's entry.
