This year’s Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year Award rests between the trio of Monaghan’s Josh Moffett, Killarney’s Rob Duggan and Omagh’s Patrick O’Brien, who successfully came through the interview process earlier this week.

London-based Churchtown driver Michael O’Brien and fellow north Cork co-driver James O’Brien from Dromtarriffe survived some late drama to win the Carrick on Suir based Willie Loughman Forest Rally, the first round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

Motorsport: Losing time off the start line of last night’s opening stage of Rally Sweden, round two of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen D3 WRC) are outside the top 10 but still only 2.6 seconds off the lead after the completion of the Super Special at Karlstad. Meeke was very relaxed at the stage finish and was looking forward to today’s nine stages.

Knowing exactly what was required, it was a case of precision rather than pace that helped Cork driver Owen Murphy land his second National Forest title in three years as his fourth place points finish on the Glens of Antrim Rally secured the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

Motorsport: Three young drivers — Josh Moffett, Owen Murphy and Desi Henry — will battle it out in tomorrow’s Glens of Antrim Rally to become the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally champion.

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

Waterford’s Craig Breen is one of the favourites to land this season’s European Rally Championship title and is top seed for tomorrow’s Rally Liepaja event in Latvia using a Peugeot 207 S2000.

Irish pair Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in their Citroen DS3 WRC made a memorable start to the World Rally Championship and hold second overall after the opening day of an incident-filled Rallye Monte Carlo.

Irish motorsport is in the middle of its award season and sandwiched between last week’s Dunlop presentation and tomorrow night’s Valvoline Irish Forest Championship ceremony were the interviews for the prestigious Billy Coleman award.

A two-minute road penalty cost Waterford’s Craig Breen (Peugeot 207 S2000) the overnight lead in the Rallye International du Valais in Switzerland, the final round of the European Rally Championship.

As the Irish rallying season begins to wind down with just three events remaining, including the popular Banna Rally and the Killarney Historic Rally, some rules are set to be clarified for the 2013 season.

Rally Italia Sardegna, the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship, continues today against the backdrop of the withdrawals of two manufacturers and a change in driver line-up.

WITH the advent of a new title sponsor, Valvoline, organisers of the National Forest Rally Championship are hoping for a resurgence of the series as it gets underway next month.

IN his first full season in Irish rallying’s Group N showroom category, Monaghan’s Shane Maguire has already learned some salutary lessons.

INTERCONTINENTAL Rally champions, Kris Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle, bid farewell to the Peugeot UK team at this weekend’s Rally of Scotland.

SAFETY is paramount in any sport, but particularly in motorsport. From the start of next season, the HANS device will be compulsory in Irish rallying.

Derry’s, Kevin Lynch, in his KPL Subaru World Rally Car emerged an easy winner of the nine stage Roscommon Moto Rally – finishing with a victory margin of two minutes and seven seconds.

THE start of the Irish Tarmac Championship looms — beginning with the Galway International Rally — and Pirelli Tyres are the series sponsor.

THE new-look RT2000 car was unveiled at the Dunlop Night of Champions in Fitzpatrick’s Killiney Castle Hotel over the weekend.

A MINIMUM prize fund of €25,000 has been put up for this season’s Formula Ireland championship that will begin in Kirkistown on April 5.