The premier award in Irish motor racing, the Dunlop Sexton Trophy, has gone to 19-year-old Neil Shanahan for the second year in succession. Last year the Dublin driver won the Formula Ford 1600 Championship. This year he upgraded to Formula Ford Zetec 1800 and won six races on his way to winning the Ford of Ireland Championship.
Shanahan does not have the money to go Formula Three, and his only option is to contest the British and European Formula Ford Zetec Championships next year, but he has yet to sign for a team.
Other talented Irish drivers are in a somewhat similar situation, such as Michael Keohane of Clonakilty and Philip Kehoe of New Ross. Unless some scheme can be set up to help and encourage our best young drivers to progress further up the racing ladder, it is highly unlikely that we will ever see another Jordan, or a Derek Daly, David Kennedy, Michael Roe or Tommy Byrne emerging from the national racing scene to win championships abroad and perhaps even go all the way to Formula One.
The only car sport fixture this weekend is the MEC's sporting trial for the hardy "mud pluggers" at Russelstown, Blessington. Likewise there are no motorcycling events, but there is a two-day display of motocross and enduro machines at the "CCM OFF-ROAD" premises in Tallaght, which will include Paris-Daker Rally bikes, quads and even kids' bikes.
Saturday - MEC Sporting Trial, Russelstown, Blessington, Co Wicklow, 11.30.
