Damien Faulkner faces his biggest racing challenge to date in the third round of the Indy Lights Series on the oval Texas motor speedway at Fort Worth on Sunday.
After finishing a disappointing seventh in the opening round of the series at Monterrey in Mexico, Faulkner crashed out in round two at Long Beach, California at the first corner. He now desperately needs to score points in the remaining races. Meanwhile, Dublin drivers Michael Cullen, Dermot O'Rourke, Ciaran Caulfield and Paddy Shovlin, and Hector Lester from Belfast compete in Sunday's two opening rounds of the Ferrari Challenge on the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa Francorchamps. Cullen was fourth in this series last year. Michael Keohane (Clonakilty) set fastest times in the Scholarship class of the British Formula Three Championship during early week testing at Donington and is upbeat about Sunday's two races at the British Midlands circuit. Austin McHale (Rathcoole) competes in Germany this weekend, in his first rally of the year in his Toyota Corolla WRC. Rory Galligan of Oldcastle, Co Meath, will contest the French Peugeot 106 Cup series with new co-driver David Jones from Edgeworthstown. He also hopes to compete in two World Championship rounds, the Rally Finland on August 23rd/26th and the Rally New Zealand on September 20th/23rd, plus Belgium's 24 Hours of Iper Rally.
The French Peugeot 106 Championship starts with this weekend's event at Terre D'Auvergne (Issoire).
Irish co-drivers Mickey Joe Morrissey (Waterford) and Joe Downey (Dublin) finished sixth and eighth in the Middle East Rally Championship, with Dubai drivers Mohammad Al Sowaidi and Ahmed al Sabban in Mitsubishi Evo 6's in the recent Bahrain Rally.
Ulster veteran Terry Harryman, winning co-driver on the Circuit of Ireland in 1964 with the late Ronnie McCartney and again in 1965 with Paddy Hopkirk, was co-driver for third-placed Sheik Jaber Al-Kjalifa. Another Ulsterman, Stephen Finlay, will be driving his Ford Focus WRC in the Rally Argentina on May 3rd/6th.
As expected, the Isle of Man TT races have been cancelled as it was feared the 40,000 visitors would increase the risk of bringing foot-and-mouth to the island.
