Despite having rolled their Citroen DS3 WRC seven times in yesterday’s shakedown stage, Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3R3) made it to the start of last evening’s Super Special in the Lotos 72nd Rally Poland, round seven of the World Rally Championship.

Organisers of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes (May 1-3) will use the stages along the Beara Peninsula on the opening day of the event rather than the second and final day as in previous years.

True to its association, the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally in Belfast is set for a titanic finish, with just a second between Irish drivers Craig Breen (Peugeot 208 T16) and Robert Barrable (Ford Fiesta R5) setting out on today’s final leg of 10 stages.

Craig Breen makes no secret of his desire to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, which cranks into action this morning, doubling as round three of the European Rally Championship and also the third round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

The Easter Stages Rally, due to take place this weekend across counties Down and Antrim, has been cancelled because of the heavy snow.

Next year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally has been dropped from the new-look European Rally Championship (ERC) due to a lack of funding.

Twenty-two-year-old Limerick Institute of Technology student, Kevin O’Connor has been selected as the March/April nominee for the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award.

Dubliner Robert Barrable is aiming for glory in this year's Circuit of Ireland rally which is set to begin this weekend.

Knowing that every second counts, Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan is favourite to win the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally this weekend.

Already shaping up to be a good contest between the Subaru S11 quartet of Dunlop regulars Kevin Barrett and Niall Maguire and newcomers, Thomas Fitzmaurice and Brian O’Mahony, the Dunlop National Rally Championship continues on Sunday with the Claremorris based McWilliam Park Hotel/Fleet Transport Magazine Mayo Rally.

THE performance of reigning World Rally Academy champion, Craig Breen, will be monitored closely on the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the World Rally Championship that begins today.

THIS year’s World Rally Academy Champion, Craig Breen has unveiled his plans for next season that will see the Waterford ace campaign his Kel-Tech Engineering Ford Fiesta S2000 in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC).

NEXT year’s Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally is one of four new rounds in the global Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series.

SPECULATION is rife that next year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally will be included in the global Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series.

THE most anticipated round of the World Rally Championship, the Rally Italy in Sardinia, has enormous Irish interest with the competition debut of the Mini John Cooper Works WRC.

SOME of the most renowned stages in Irish rallying, like Moll’s Gap, Caragh Lake and those in the Béara Peninsula, are the principal reason Tim McNulty opted to compete in this weekend’s Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, instead of last week’s Circuit of Ireland Rally.

FORD’S challenger in the new look World Rally Championship, the Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, was launched at the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham yesterday.

TRIBUTES have been paid to a one of the first Volkswagen dealers in the country who raced his “beloved Beetle” in many rallies before finally changing his dealership allegiance to Toyota.

SEVERAL championships unfold over the weekend against a backdrop of well-subscribed entries. The Dunlop National Rally Championship curtain-raiser, the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh Rally that also counts towards the Top Part West Coast Championship and the Dunlop Junior Championship, has attracted over 150 crews.

THIS year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally will feature a demanding 18-mile night-time stage as the centrepiece to what is the second oldest rally in the world.

Derry's Eugene Donnelly and co-driver Paddy Toner (Skoda Fabia) have won the Circuit of Ireland Rally today.

Although each of the first four stages of the Circuit of Ireland Rally produced a different leader, Eugene Donnelly and his co-driver Paddy Toner were the dominant force throughout today's eight stages.

One of the most famous events in Irish motorsport, the Circuit of Ireland Rally, has a new sponsor.

Second place for Connor McCloskey in today's Townparks Glens of Antrim Rally was enough to win the Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

An exciting finish to the Circuit of Ireland Rally resulted in a narrow 4.9 second victory for Wexford’s, Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) who fended off the challenge of Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Ford Focus WRC).

Wexford’s Eamonn Boland and co-driver Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) continue to lead after the conclusion of the second leg of the Circuit of Ireland Rally today.

Wexford's Eamonn Boland and his co-driver, Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) lead the Circuit of Ireland Rally at the end of the first leg.

Meteor Electrical will sponsor next year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally on Easter weekend (Saturday 26-Monday 28 March). The event will be based in Enniskillen.

Despite what he described as two very big moments on Stage 13, gallan Bridge, near Newtownstewart, Derek McGarrity retains control of the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally.

Dominating the six stages of the opening leg of the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally, Derek

After five stages of the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally, Derek McGarrity and co-driver, Derek O’Gorman (Subaru WRC) have a 19.3 second advantage over the Toyota Corolla of Eugene Donnelly with Austin MacHale (Ford Focus) 23.7 seconds adrift in third and a mere 0.6 seconds ahead of Donie O’Sullivan (Ford Focus WRC).

Wexford’s Eamonn Boland is set to debut his 'Step 2' Mitsubishi on the Monaghan Rally, the second round of the Dunlop Championship in two weeks time.

International status has been restored to the Circuit of Ireland Rally after a lapse of 13 years.

The Rally of the Lakes format is ideally suited for inclusion in the World Rally Championship according to John Brown, one of the world's best known professional rally organisers.

Enniskillen is to be the main base for the 2003 Circuit of Ireland Rally.

Killarney will play host to Ireland's leading drivers on May 4 and 5, when the International Rally of the Lakes returns to the sporting calendar, after a year's absence due to the foot-and-mouth scare.

Andrew Nesbitt remains on course for his first ever Circuit of Ireland Rally win despite concerns of a

Reigning Irish tarmac champion, Andrew Nesbitt, in his Subaru Ireland WRC has taken a 23 second lead after just three stages of the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally.

Next month's Circuit of Ireland rally has been postponed due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.