Motor Sport Round-up: Although Andrew Nesbitt and James O'Brien are listed as number one in the official programme for the Circuit of Ireland, the Armagh/Cork crew is not competing in the Easter event.
Former winner Nesbitt says the team were over budget for the Swedish Rally and will also miss the Killarney Rally of the Lakes on the May holiday. The next outing for Nesbitt and O'Brien in the Subaru WRC will probably be the Donegal Rally in June.
Austin McHale is aiming for his third Circuit win. He has done lots of recent testing in preparation for his second outing in his Ford Focus RS and is confident he can beat off the challenge of Tapio Laukkanen, Derek McGarrity and Eugene Donnelly.
Finland's Pentti Airikkala won the Circuit in 1979, the only Continental driver to win what was once Ireland's premier rally.Laukkanen won the Galway International from the hard-charging Donnelly, whose impressive record includes the Dunlop National Rally Championship, the Northern Ireland Championship and the National Forestry Stages Championship.
The event, round two of the Pirelli Tarmac Championship, is led by Laukkanen, on 15 points, from Donnelly (12), McHale (10), and McGarrity (8).
Although the rally carries international status for the first time since 1991, it is now only a sprint by comparison with the long-distance classic Circuit of Ireland events of a bygone era.
The rally is based in Enniskillen and tomorrow will cover six stages/35.51 miles in a route of 86.92 miles.
The Easter Sunday route of 189.63 miles includes 10 stages/88.27 miles, and on Easter Monday the 113.51 miles route will have seven stages/53.25 miles.
A total of 177.03 stages miles in a route of 390.06 miles in Co Fermanagh is not exactly a "Circuit" of Ireland by any stretch of the imagination.
The Dublin Crystal Easter Stages, a round of the Northern Ireland Championship, and the National and Historic Rally, will run ahead of the Circuit.
The 18-year-old engineering student from Roscommon Emmet Queenan beat Paul Dagg and Barry Waugh in the opening round of the Formula Ireland Championship at Kirkistown last Saturday.
Two rounds of the premier class will be run in the Super Race meeting at Mondello Park, along with the Dunlop Supercars and Fiat Punto Abarths, sports cars and historics.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Easter Saturday: UAC Circuit of Ireland, starts St Angelo, Enniskillen, 10.30 am; Clare MC, Autotest, Shannon, Co Clare, 3.00 pm.
Easter Sunday: UAC Circuit of Ireland, restarts Enniskillen, 7.30 am; Cork MC, Autocross, Grancore, Clonakilty, Co Cork, 11.30 am; Co Cavan MC, Autocross, Ballybay-Cootehill Rd, Co Cavan, 9.00 am; IMRC, Motor Racing, Mondello Park, noon.
Easter Monday: UAC Circuit of Ireland, restarts Enniskillen, 8.30 am.
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