The Killarney and District Motor Club have welcomed this week’s court decision to disqualify 12 drivers, each for a period of two years, following anti-social behavior during the Rally of the Lakes last May.

Taking the lead on the second stage, the Antrim/Monaghan duo of Desi Henry and Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta WRC) went on to win the Enniskillen based Lakeland Rally that counted as rounds of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship and the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally series.

Having narrowly missed out on winning the Triton National Rally Championship last year Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) can clinch the title and the Vard Memorial Trophy on Sunday’s penultimate round, the Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally in Gort.

A winning margin of 20.4 seconds by Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and co-driver James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta R5) in the Crafted Fitted Furniture Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, masks a tremendous battle with fellow countyman Barry McKenna and his Wexford co-driver Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) that wasn’t resolved until the penultimate stage.

Mountmellick driver Anthony Culleton (Semog Buggy) extended his lead in the 5 Star Catering National Loose Surface Autocross Championship with an impressive victory in yesterday’s Skibbereen and District Car Club’s Loose Surface Autocross at Derryleigh.

New Zealander Hayden Paddon returns to the World Rally Championship at next month’s Neste Rally Finland in an EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC.

A late entry, Donegal’s Declan Gallagher (Toyota Starlet) and co-driver Derek Heena had an emphatic win in the Acesigns Laois Heartlands Rally. With the best times on all six stages, they finished a minute and 32.4 seconds ahead of the Ford Escort of fellow Donegal crew Mark Alcorn/John O’Donnell. Oldcastle’s Gary McNamee co-driven by Brian Brady took an impressive third in their Class 16 Honda Civic — 11.2 seconds further behind.

Three former winners are amongst the entry list for Sunday’s Acesigns Laois Heartland’s Rally in Portlaoise with Cavan’s Jonny Pringle bidding to become the first man to win back to back events.

The Tillotson T4 Series will be showcased at the Motorsport Ireland National Karting Championships in Whiteriver Karting Complex in Louth on Sunday.

A meeting of the World Rally Commission in Geneva tomorrow to discuss next season’s Word Rally Championship may increase the possibility of an event returning to the island of Ireland.

Tyrone’s Cathan McCourt (Ford Fiesta R5) netted his maiden rally victory on the Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Rally, round three of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

Derry’s Marty McCormack (Skoda Fabia R5) heads up the entry for Sunday’s Treaty Plant Hire Limerick Forest Rally, the second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

A rallying year which began with uncertainty ends in style tomorrow with a capacity entry list for the Rentokil-Initial Killarney Historic Rally.

Carrick on Suir Motor Club’s kindness and generosity shows little sign of abating.

In trying circumstances Donegal’s Declan Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) captured the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with his eighth place finish on the Ballybofey based Jackson’s Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally.

As the curtain falls on the already decided Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship in tomorrow’s McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally in Omagh, the outcome of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship could also draw to a close should series leader Derek McGarrity (Ford Focus WRC) secure a top four finish.

It’s been a topsy-turvy few days for the Prestone British Rally Championship organisers.

A resumption of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship after 11 weeks and the return of the Stonethrowers Rally after a two-year absence dovetail on Sunday in the Clonmel event.

One of the most arduous events in the World Rally Championship, Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 7), marks the beginning of Citroen’s post-Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle era.

For the Cronin brothers, Keith and Daniel, Sunday’s Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally in west Limerick has different agendas.

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and his Limerick co-driver Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta WRC) claimed the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally yesterday.

Waterford’s Craig Breen and his British co-driver Scott Martin had to be content with seventh place in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round six of the World Rally Championship.

The Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Rally ended in dramatic fashion as the Donegal/Monaghan pairing of Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley guided their KN Group liveried Ford Focus WRC to a final stage victory to deny long time leaders, the Monaghan/Cork duo of Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5).

One of the most scenic locations in the country, Achill Island, provides the backdrop for the opening round of the Triton Showers Rally Championship on Sunday.

Kilkenny’s Enda O’Brien (Escort) withstood a late challenge from Cashel’s Paul O’Connell (Mitsubishi EvoIX) to win the Carlow Car Club Rallysprint at Mondello Park yesterday. 

Second place on the Sunset Rally at Nutts Corner for Belfast’s Jonny Greer (Citroen DS3R5) was enough to win the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship and deny Derek McGarrity an eighth title.

The popularity of Sunday’s Germaine’s of Baltinglass Hotel Rally is reflected by an entry of 130 competitors that will be led away by top seed and favourite Kilkenny’s Enda O’Brien (Ford Escort).

Second fastest through yesterday’s shakedown stage for RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de Espana, round 11 of the World Rally Championship, Irish pair Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle spearhead Citroen’s challenge for the three-day encounter.

Dovetailing as rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship and the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, tomorrow’s Bushwhacker Rally, in Omagh, has a cracking field.

Leading from the start Welsh driver Steve Wood (Subaru WRC) and his Limerick co-driver Keith Moriarty took a relatively comfortable victory in the Volkswagen Wexford Rally where they finished 40 seconds ahead of the Fiesta WRC of Maynooth’s Ian Barrett/Eoin O’Flaherty. 

It’s already a memorable season for Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and it can get even better as he edges closer to becoming the first ever driver to win all three major Irish rallying championships in the same season. 

Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) produced a start-to-finish victory in the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, to increase his chances of winning all three major Irish rally championships.

Is there a lesson to be gained for Irish rally organisers from Sunday’s Midleton based Imokilly Rally? 

With four rounds completed Sam Moffett (Ford Focus WRC) is marching towards success in the Triton National Rally Championship.

Taking the lead on the third stage, Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) won the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally finishing 32.1 seconds ahead of the Subaru WRC of Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings and his Letterkenny co-driver Rory Kennedy. 

Motorsport Ireland (MI) chief executive Alex Sinclair has described this week’s meeting with rally competitors in Athlone as “something positive” as officials seek solutions to a number of problems facing the sport.

Not surprisingly, Derry’s Marty McCormack and his Mallow co-driver David Moynihan in their Tiger Risk liveried Skoda Fabia R5 ran out comfortable winners of the Donegal Forest Rally, round three of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

This weekend is likely to be a defining moment in the annals of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. A glance through the list of previous winners reveal that drivers of World Rally Cars have triumphed since the Millennium, but that thread is tenuous as the new breed of R5 cars is set to bring the sequence to an end.

After 67 years as an anchor employer at the Marina, a perfect storm of mounting losses, a hard recession, and the ending of tariffs on car assembly, meant the Irish plant had to close in 1984.

Following a winter of uncertainty, Irish rallying springs into action tomorrow with the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.