The Ford of Ireland Championship for the new Formula Ford Zetec should have been decided in the final race at Mondello Park on September 21st, but the outcome will not be known until after Monday's appeal hearing by the RIAC Motor Sport Commission, only days before the Formula Ford World Finals at Brands Hatch.
It is just not acceptable for such an important matter to drag on for over three weeks, and indeed it could go on for longer if there are counter appeals and the possibility of it going into the law courts.
An on track clash between Jeff Wright and Noel Dunne in the final round resulted in Dunne spinning out of the race and Wright was excluded from second place.
Either Dunne or Mark McKenna will win the championship if Wright's exclusion sticks.
Thirteen Irish drivers are to compete in the Formula Ford World Finals next weekend, for which there is a free entry for the Zetec Champion. Will it be Wright, Dunne or McKenna? We should have been told weeks ago. This is no way to conclude a championship.
John Gilleece has won the RIAC Coras National Rally Championship, and the Belfast dentist has pulled his entry form from tomorrow's penultimate round, the Donegal Harvest Rally. The strongest Donegal entry is headed by drivers Paul Harris and Hugh Martin Donnelly, who will be very hard to beat on home ground despite the challenge from across the Border by Charlie Donnelly and Tom Spence.
There is a capacity entry of 130 crews, plus 60 reserves. Run out of Killybegs, the 3x3 stages are: Croagh, Dummy's Bridge and Drumcoe.
Over 100 classic rally cars leave Bangor today from 2.30 on the Circuit of Ireland Retro Rally. After the overnight halt in Athlone, the rally will be based in Waterford on Saturday, finishing Sunday around 4.30. Threetime winner Frank Fennell is in the field, as are last year's winners, autotest champion Eamonn Byrne and Paul Phelan in a Mini-Cooper S.
The loss of the traditional, end-of-season Cork 20 rally was a blow to this year's Tarmac Rally Championship. The Munster Motor Cycle and Car Club is determined to restore this event to its former glory and has appointed Alan Verso as clerk of the course; he last ran this event in 1989. The 1998 Cork 20 International Rally will be held on October 2nd4th.
The final motorcycle races of the year (Irish Clubmans Championship) will be held at Aghadowey, Co Derry, tomorrow and at Mondello Park on Sunday. MEC's Southern Centre Championship Trial on Sunday starts from the Wicklow Gap Road above Glendalough. After eight rounds Brian McLoughlin has a dominant lead over Johnny Duhig in Grade A. The other class leaders are: Stuart Martin (B), Gordon Clarke (C), Emmet Stokes (102), Michael Burton (Junior A) and Warren Hendy (Junior B).
The indoor arena trial listed for tomorrow at Millstreet is cancelled. Sunday's Motocross at Gormanstown, Co Meath, is the final round of the CCM Racing/Electration series.
John Bolton, Gordon Erskine, Alan Watkins, Philip Erskine, Roy Stewart, Brian Miley and Robin Taylor finished in that order in the opening Sporting Trial of the 1997-98 season. The mud pluggers in their strange but very effective off-road cars are in action again tomorrow, in the Leinster MC's GVB Cup Trial at Newcastle, Co Wicklow.
