The Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship is likely to have a new leader after tomorrow’s Abbey Hotel Donegal Forest Rally, the third round of the campaign as series leader and former champion Josh Moffett has withdrawn his entry due to business commitments.

Cork racing driver Matt Griffin and his Clearwater Racing team-mates Mok Weng Sun and Keita Sawa claimed victory in the LMGTE Am category of ‘The 6 Hours of Silverstone’, the opening round of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone yesterday.

A ninth birthday present of a go-kart has propelled Shanagarry’s Lucca Allen towards his ultimate dream – competing in Formula 1. 

The Abu Dhabi Total WRT that includes Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Craig Breen/Scott Martin complete their competitive season on Wales Rally GB that begins today. 

Good performances don’t always guarantee good results according to Cork racing ace Matt Griffin, who competes in the penultimate round of the European Le Mans Series at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium this weekend. 

Leading all the way, Monaghan’s Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC), co-driven by James O’Reilly, survived a final-stage puncture to win the Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally in Gort.

Matt Griffin drives for the iconic Italian car company Ferrari at LeMans but would be just as happy driving his Peugeot up Molls Gap.

Cork driver Matt Griffin and his AF Corse team-mates Duncan Cameron and Aaron Scott had to be content with sixth spot in the LMGTE category of yesterday’s 4 Hours of Imola, the second round of the European Le Mans Series that ended under the safety car due to incessant rain.

With a clean sweep of the fastest times on all eight stages, the Antrim/Cork combination of Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) won the Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, the second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally series.

Cork racing ace Matt Griffin opens his competitive season this afternoon in the Hankook 24 Hour of Dubai with the Dragon Racing Team.

The Valvoline National Forestry Rally Championship reaches its penultimate stage on Sunday with the Mayo Forest Rally. Though there is a 31-point difference between series leader and former champion Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) and his main rival, Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Mitsubishi), the latter can land the title should he prevail on Sunday and again on the final round in Antrim early next month.

Yet another Moffett show, the latest episode on the TuffMac Trailers Lakeland Rally, round five of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship saw the Monaghan born brothers Sam and Josh dominate proceedings during Saturday’s eight stages in the forests of west Fermanagh.

With consistent performances on the opening four rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, London-based Cork driver Michael O’Brien (Ford Focus WRC) makes another trip across the Irish Sea for tomorrow’s TuffMac Trailers Lakeland Rally in Enniskillen. The event also counts towards the Northern Ireland McGrady Insurance and Carryduff Forklift Championship.

The decision by Motorsport Ireland to phase out the one-time popular single stage rallies has worked in favour of one of the newest motor clubs in the country, the Imokilly Motor Club.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Derry co-driver, Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC), won the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a second-placed finish in the McCormack Opel/Sligo Park Hotel Rally.

All season long Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) has been a consistent barometer of pace in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. 

Further to their maiden WRC win, the Irish duo of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) tackle this weekend’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round five of the World Rally Championship, in confident mood. They are also expected to benefit from redefined aerodynamics on the front end and a new bumper and redesigned wings.

On his first gravel rally in his CombiLift Ford Fiesta WRC Monaghan’s Josh Moffett took an impressive second place in the Plains Rally in Wales where his older brother Sam, in an identical car, was sixth.

Monaghan drivers dominate the weekend’s rallying landscape with the Moffett brothers Sam (25) and Josh (22) competing in tomorrow’s Plains Rally in Wales while Stephen Wright contests the Sezoens Rally in Belgium.

The Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney and the Rally de Portugal may not have that much in common other than gravel surfaces, but both have a tangible link with former triple British rally champion Keith Cronin.

Irish rallying has received a major boost after Triton Showers was confirmed as title sponsor of the National Rally Championship.

On home ground, it is not surprising that there is a wave of expectation on Craig Breen to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, round four of the European Rally Championship that gets underway in Belfast this morning.

Triple national rally champion Niall Maguire has conquered the Sligo Rally on several occasions — as has his son Shane, who won last year — yet it has been nine years since Maguire Snr’s last triumph and, indeed, his last national victory.

Even with three British Rally Championship titles under his belt, Keith Cronin had not been able to progress his career due to a lack of funding.

There is no indication when, or even if, the Ulster Automobile Club can reschedule the Easter Rally that was set to take place tomorrow but was cancelled due to the weather.

These are busy times for Cork racing ace Matt Griffin.

Cork-born racing driver Matt Griffin has signed for the Silverstone-based Ram Racing and will contest the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

There is no real explanation why the Carlton Hotel Circuit of Kerry is one of the most hotly contested events in Irish rallying. On four occasions in recent times the rally has ended in a tie-break situation and three have involved current leader of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Niall Maguire.

THE Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship heralds the beginning of the Irish rally season tomorrow with the Abbey Hotel Donegal Forest Rally making its debut in the series.