The activation of the Kerry County Council’s emergency plan prohibited the Killarney and District Motor Club from proceeding with Saturday’s Rentokil-Initial Killarney Historic Rally.

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.

Pioneers of innovation in Irish motorsport, the Killarney and District Motor Club will herald the introduction of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship on next week’s caretll.ie International Rally of the Lakes.

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 interest in next month’s Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the 2012 World Rally Championship, has been severely diluted as Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and his Kerry co-driver, Paul Nagle do not appear on the 89-strong entry list that was announced earlier this week.

THERE is unlikely to be a stampede of Irish applicants for the second intake at the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.

REIGNING Dunlop National Rally champion, Mel Evans and current Irish Tarmac championship leader, Tim McNulty, both in Subaru WRCs, go head to head in Sunday’s opening round of the Dunlop series, the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally that also marks the beginning of the Top Part West Coast Rally series.

IT seems there is no room for manoeuvre in the Irish Motorsport calendar that cannot accommodate the re-scheduling of its more high profile events.

THE demise of Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge both here and in Britain is a major blow, particularly to the young drivers, as it provided a perfect launching pad to their careers.

ORGANISERS of the Kenmare Historic Rally are monitoring the weather conditions ahead of their event on Sunday.

DOUBLE British Rally Champion Keith Cronin has shelved his progress to the next level of the sport due to a lack of opportunities.

THE Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle have been stripped of their victory in last week’s Rally of Scotland.

FORMER team manager to Billy Coleman, Mayo-based Tom Walsh has been appointed as clerk of the course for Rally Ireland’s debut in the 2007 World Rally Championship.

The reigning Irish Tarmac Rally Champions, Andrew Nesbitt and James O'Brien, are the top seeds for the Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakes 2003.

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.