The GAA stadia are not the only places where Tipperary are illustrating their sporting prowess this season. Success for the Premier county natives has also transcended the highways and byways of Ireland and one is on the cusp on landing Irish rallying’s National title.

Dubliner Robert Barrable, better known for his rallying forays, will compete in this season’s British GT Championship where he will team up Northern Ireland’s Wilson Thompson in a Team HARD-prepared Ginetta G55 GT4.

A new dawn breaks for the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship on its opening round, the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally, which gets under way tomorrow.

Dubliner Willie Coyne (Vauxhall Nova) emulated brother Noel by clinching the McLoughlin’s Industrial Flooring Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park yesterday.

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.

There was double delight for Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) as he clinched the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship with victory in the Todd’s Leap Ulster Rally in Enniskillen. 

Local hero Garry Jennings (Subaru EWRC) heads up the entry for the Todd’s Leap Ulster Rally that begins this afternoon in Enniskillen.

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.

Even though Donegal’s Declan Boyle secured enough points to land the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship, he will contest the Acesigns Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the series.

Although not exactly threadbare, Declan Boyle’s title aspirations in the Dunlop National Rally Championship hinge on securing maximum points from all three remaining rounds.

A 20-year-old driver has been killed while competing in a motor race in the North.

On the cusp of his maiden Irish Tarmac Championship success, Donegal’s Declan Boyle (Subaru WRC) is taking nothing for granted ahead of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally, the penultimate round of the Clonakilty Black Pudding-supported series in Enniskillen this afternoon.

Local hero Darragh O’Riordan (Subaru WRC) bids to record back-to-back wins in this weekend’s Orchard Motorsport Cork ‘20’ International Rally as Armagh’s Darren Gass (Subaru WRC) aims to seal his inaugural Irish Tarmac title with Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings, the only other driver that can win the title, a doubtful starter.

Competitors in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the British Rally Championship will traverse the same stages under their respective banners of the Ulster Rally and Rally Northern Ireland this afternoon.

THE triple title challenge for the Dunlop National Rally Championship involving Kerry’s Thomas Fitzmaurice, Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Cork’s Brian O’Mahony enters a key phase on Sunday at the Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally.

At the end of the first leg of Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Ford Fiesta S2000) hold fourth place in the S-WRC category.

Irish Tarmac Rally champion Tim McNulty welcomes the challenge of Sunday’s Safety Direct Galway International Rally, the opening round of the series.

ALTHOUGH three drivers have won the National Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Championship (ITC) at different times, no driver has ever won the two championships in the same season.

TEAMS will tackle six stages in Co Antrim this afternoon in their respective opening legs of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally and the Todds Leap International Rally Northern Ireland, part of the Irish Tarmac Rally and Dulux Trade British Rally championships.

ALEX SINCLAIR, chief executive of Motorsport Ireland, has urged the bosses of GAA, soccer and rugby to be directly involved at the grassroots of their sport.

TIME may be running out for Tim McNulty’s rivals to thwart his bid for the Dunlop National Rally Championship title.

PRESENTLY enjoying a fine debut season in his Skoda Fabia S2000, Dubliner Robert Barrable has received an official invitation to compete in the Barum Rally (August 26-28) in the Czech Republic, round seven of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge series.

CONCERNS are growing about the future of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

THE ambition to succeed in the new World Rally Championship Academy series has prompted young Irish rally star, Craig Breen, to alter his plans for the forthcoming season.

BRITISH RALLY champion, Keith Cronin is not that accustomed to playing the percentage game, mostly because the Cork driver hasn’t been required to adopt such a role.

TITLE contenders in both the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship and the Dulux Trade British Rally Championship face similar tasks on this weekend’s penultimate rounds of the series, that while featuring the same stages, headquarters and service halts, will run under two different names.

HORSEPOWER of a different variety will reverberate at the Tralee Racecourse tomorrow for the Tyre Stop Kerry Rallysprint.

REIGNING Intercontinental Rally champions, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in their Peugeot 207 S2000 are sixth overall after the opening leg of three stages of the Sata Rallye Acores, the seventh round of the series.

NOT since 1974 has an Irish driver won the British Rally Championship, indeed in the entire history of the BRC, only Billy Coleman has managed to triumph.

THE Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) meet in Dublin on Sunday against the backdrop of a changing demographic in the Irish Tarmac Championship. The top contenders in the ITC have stated that the series should continue without any dramatic changes.

Eugene Donnelly (Toyota Corolla WRC) has won the Todds Leap.com Ulster International Rally, a counting round of both the Irish Tarmac Championship and the British Rally Championship.

The opening leg of the Todds Leap.com Ulster International Rally in Antrim was a classic contest mixed with drama through the day's six stages, where the lead changed several times.

SOME 23 years after he won the event, Tralee’s Donie Horan headlines Kerry Motor Club’s Tyre Stop-backed Rallysprint tomorrow at Tralee Racecourse. The 46-year-old makes his first competitive outing since the mid-1980s and will drive a hired Mitsubishi Evo9.

Eamonn Boland has won the Ulster Rally and clinched his inaugural Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Manx native Mark Higgins and his Letterkenny co driver Rory Kennedy, on board their Group N Subaru, hung on for victory at the Rally Isle of Man today.

Kris Meeke and co-driver, Paul Nagle in the Pirelli-backed Subaru WRC have won the Philip White Tyres Ulster Rally, a counting round of both the Irish and British Rally championships.

Tyrone’s, Kris Meeke and his Killarney co-driver, Paul Nagle in the Pirelli backed Subaru WRC dominated the opening leg of the Armagh based Philip White Tyres Ulster Rally, a counting round of both the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship and the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championships.

Derry driver, Eugene Donnelly and his Sligo co-driver, Paul Kiely in their Toyota Corolla delivered a double victory in Armagh.

The first leg of the Philip White Tyres Ulster Rally, a round of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship and the Tesco 99 Octane British series has concluded with Eugene Donnelly at the top of the leader board.

IN an ideal world, there should be no problem about victims group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) holding a rally in Dublin, but unfortunately we know we do not have such a world.

Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely have won the Philip White Tyres Ulster Rally, a counting round of the Irish and British Pirelli Championships.

Mark Higgins heads the Ulster Rally after the first leg by just 12.5seconds from Andrew Nesbitt.