MOTORSPORT: Gareth MacHale and Paul Nagle have two incredibly tough rally challenges this weekend and next. This morning the Irish crew start the Rally Mexico in a Ford Focus WRC 05 and will arrive home with just a few days to prepare for the second running of Rally Ireland in which they will drive a Focus WRC 03.

MacHale, a 25-year-old civil engineer from Rathcoole, Co Dublin, last year won the National Forestry Rally Championship with Kerry co-driver Nagle on the pace notes. Motorsport Ireland honoured MacHale with the Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year and he is the first winner of this prestigious award to show outstanding potential on the World Rally Championship stages.

Rally Mexico is Round Three of the FIA World Rally Championship 2006 in which the flyingFinn Marcus Gronholm is going for a three-in-a-row victory in the latest Ford Focus WRC.

Having finished 17th on their WRC debut in this year's Monte Carlo Rally, MacHale and Nagle are going for another finish in Mexico and to gain invaluable experience of rallying at its highest level. The rally is based around Leon some 400km north of Mexico city.

Ray Breen (Slieverue, Co Kilkenny) is the top seed in Sunday's Mayo Stages, Round One of the Dunlop National Rally Championship. Breen won the championship last year and is in tremendous form having finished fifth in the recent Galway International and won last Sunday's Birr event. He reckons his biggest challenge could come from the in-form Niall Maguire.

George Tracey leads Dermot Carnegie going into Round Three of the Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park on Sunday.

Rumours that this year's Circuit of Ireland is cancelled are totally unfounded. The Meteor Electrical-sponsored event will be run as usual over the Easter weekend, based for the first time in Derry City.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Sunday - Mayo & District MC, Stages Rally, starts Castlebar, 10.00am; Wexford MC, Autotest, Wellington Bridge, Co Wexford, 11.00am; Carlow CC, Rallycross, Mondello Park, 12.00pm.