Motor Sport Column: In a surprise move, last year's Formula Ireland Championship runner-up, John O'Hara, returns to Irish racing in time for this weekend's first of four "Super Race Sundays" at Mondello Park.
Budget problems have forced the Kildare driver to abandon plans to contest the international Formula Palmer Audi series. His return to Formula Ireland is a big boost to the championship.
The highly experienced Paul Dagg and the up-and-coming Mark Smith are joint leaders of the Formula Ireland Championship on 23 points after the two opening rounds.
As well as Dagg and Smith, Kirkistown winner Paul Sammin (18 points), Alan Dwyer (14), Emmet Queenan (11), and Jeff Collier (10) are all hungry for championship points.
Brendan Donegan and Pat Donegan (Navan) are the respective winners of the first two rounds of the Dunlop Super Saloons Championship, and Liam Denning (Dublin) and Karl Leonard (Naas) have scored race wins in the Fiat Punto Abarth Championship.
The three Donegan brothers hold the top three places in the Dunlop saloon series, Brendan and Pat joint first on 25 points, David third on 13.
The format tomorrow is three sprint races and three feature races for Formula Atlantic, the Super Saloons and the Puntos, with the top finishers from the first three races having their grid order reversed for the second races, which should result in a lot of overtaking.
Following his Easter heroics at Mondello, where he scored a win and a third place finish in the UK Formula Ford Championship races, Charlie Donnelly (Naas) has been nominated Dunlop Driver of The Month for April.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: Co. Kildare MC, 4x4 Trial, Granard, Co. Longford, 10.00am.
Sunday: 4x4 Trial, Granard, Co.Longford, 10.00am; Munster MC & CC, Forestry Stages Rally, starts Midleton Park Hotel, Co. Cork, 8.30am; Kerry MC, Autotest, Banna Beach Hotel, Co. Kerry, 12 noon; MG Car Club, Motor Racing, Mondello Park, 12.30pm.
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