Motor Sport: When Dominic McLoughlin accelerates his Peugeot 205 off the line in Sunday's Sligo Stage Rally, it will mark the start of the 2005 Irish rally season which runs through to December.
McLoughlin heads the capacity entry, followed by John Kearny, Eddie Power, Paddy Boyce, John McGetterick, David Leonard, Eamon McElvaney, Shane Feely, Stuart Darcy and Thomas O'Rourke. Under the direction of clerk of the course Rosemary Walsh, crews will have three timed runs over a 10-mile stage.
The event starts at 10.43 a.m. on Sunday with the Mullen and McLoughlin sponsored familiarisation run, followed by the timed runs.
The Sligo event is also round four of the Irish 205 Challenge, led by Graeme Colfer on 47 points from Adrian McBride (40), Seamus Grady (38), Niall O'Connell (34), Emma Britton (30) and William Mavitty (25).
The championship sees 15 of the 17 registered crews entered for the Sligo event, which concludes with two off-road events, the Sweet Lamb Rally in Wales on February 27th and the Carrick-On-Suir Willie Loughman Forestry rally on March 27th.
John Watson, five-time grand prix winner and world championship joint runner-up in 1982 (with Didier Pironi), was this week's guest of honour in Hillsborough Castle at the announcement of the Ulster Automobile Club's 50th Ulster Tourist Trophy Anniversary, which will run over the three days of June 15-18th.
Robin McKinney, UAC president, outlined details of the celebrations, the highlight of which will be a series of sprint races on the Saturday over the Dundrod Circuit in Co Antrim.
Also present was Ernest McMillen, who will drive the Austin Healey he raced at Dundrod 50 years ago, and racing enthusiasts Cecil and Ellenor Calvert, mayor and mayoress of Lisburn.
The 1955 TT at Dundrod was contested by all the works teams of the era and resulted in a clean sweep for Mercedes-Benz, the famous 300SLRs finishing 1-2-3 in the order Stirling Moss/John Fitch, Juan Manuel Fangio/Karl Kling, Wolfgang von Trips/Andre Simon/Kling. Although the Dundrod Circuit continues to be used for the famous Ulster Grand Prix motor cycle races, it was deemed unsafe for car racing.
FIXTURES Saturday: Skibbereen & District CC, National navigation trial, starts Lisavaird Community Hall, Clonakilty, Cork, 11.45pm.
Sunday: Connacht MC, Stage Rally, starts Sligo Park Hotel, Sligo, 10.00am.
