Antrim’s Desi Henry (Skoda Fabia R5) and his Millstreet co-driver Liam Moynihan netted their second win in this season’s Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship as they cruised to victory in the Mallow based Crafted Furniture & Joinery Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, the fourth round of the series.

Although not endemic within rallying, illegal reconnaissance is still a concern.

Pressure is something Tyrone’s Kris Meeke reckons he has handled for most of his rallying career.

Donagh Kelly and co-driver Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) took a strong victory in the Dooley’s Hotel Raven’s Rock Rally in Waterford, round five of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Andrew Purcell (Mitsubishi) is likely to be the barometer of the pace on Sunday’s Willie Loughman Forest Rally, the first round of the Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship.

Motorsport.

Boosted by their podium finish on Rally Finland, Tyrone’s Kris Meeke pictured and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle will push for another big result on the ADAC Rallye Deutschland that begins today in Trier.

The Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) made a bright start to Rally Poland – round seven of the World Rally Championship – and hold third place, seven seconds behind the VW Polo WRC of leaders Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia heading into today’s seven stages.

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.

Through five decades, Kenny McKinstry has been involved in Irish rallying, initially as a competitor but more recently in the hire and preparation of Subaru WRCs.

There is a strong Irish presence in the Jim Clark International Rally, the second round of British Rally Championship, that begins with a stage around the streets of Duns in the Scottish borders this evening.

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.

Nenagh’s Whitby Moynan (Toyota Special) clinched the Munster Autocross Championship in dramatic fashion with the fastest time on the fourth and final run of the Cork Autocross at Coachford yesterday.

Elevation to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series has raised the profile of the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally.

UNDER pressure throughout the event, Waterford’s, Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta) and his Welsh co-driver, Gareth Roberts were crowned the FIA WRC Academy Champions after clinching the title with victory in Rally GB, the final round of the series to claim the top prize worth €500,000.

THE Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (MINI WRC) begins today’s second leg of Rally GB, the final round of the World Rally Championship, in fifth place following a solid run through yesterday’s opening three stages.

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.

WHAT appeared to be a cracking entry for Sunday’s Kilkenny-based Suirway Farm Machinery Raven’s Rock Rally, the fifth round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, has been decimated by a series of withdrawals.

HAVING dominated the Dunlop National Rally Championship so far, it remains to be seen if any of Tim McNulty’s title rivals have the ability to stop him as he goes in search of another victory at Sunday’s Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally.

EVEN though he had to replace the power steering pump on three separate occasions, Meath’s, Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC) maintained his unbeaten sequence in the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

THE most anticipated round of the World Rally Championship, the Rally Italy in Sardinia, has enormous Irish interest with the competition debut of the Mini John Cooper Works WRC.

WITH victory in the opening two rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, Cork driver Owen Murphy aims to continue the trend in Sunday’s third round, the Lismore-based Munster Moonraker Forest Rally.

TOMORROW’S second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, the Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir Rally features the participants that served up a cracking tussle on the opening round in Mitchelstown a few weeks ago.

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.

WELSH ace Mel Evans (Subaru WRC) has already made Irish rallying history by becoming the first ever overseas driver to win the national rally series.

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

THE affiliated clubs of Motorsport Ireland are set to receive the Way Forward document, hot on the heels of the governing body’s General Code of Conduct contained in this month’s Motorsport Bulletin.

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

CHRIS PATTERSON (41) will be the new partner for Norwegian driver Petter Solberg in the World Rally Championship. Early last month, Phil Mills, Solberg’s regular co-driver, stepped down from his role with the flamboyant Norwegian, who has 152 WRC starts including 13 wins and one world title.

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.

AS EXPECTED, Niall Maguire, driving his S10 Subaru WRC coasted to victory in the Ennis-based Auburn Lodge Clare Rally. Leading from the start and co-driven by Enda Sherry, he finished two minutes and 14 seconds ahead of the Ford Escort of Mike Quinn/Grainne McEnery with Ed O’Callaghan/Ger Clancy, also in a Ford Escort, a further 10 seconds behind in third.

Strabane's, Sean Devine (Subaru WRC) has won the Fisher Engineering Lakeland Rally in Fermanagh, the seventh round of the Hankook Tyres Northern Ireland Rally Championship

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.

London-based Corkonian Mike O'Brien made a winning return to his native county with victory on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, a qualifying round of the Petro Systems Irish Forest Championship.

Leading from start to finish, Kenny McKinstry on board his Subaru WRC took a comfortable victory in the Orchard Motorsport Lurgan Park Rally today.

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.

Gareth MacHale, co-driven by Brian Murphy in their Ford Focus WRC have won the Letterkenny based Topaz Donegal International Rally.

Monaghan's, Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC), co-driven by Enda Sherry took their first maximum score in a round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship when they took a final stage win on the Adare based Circuit of Munster Rally (Round 4) today.

The local crew of Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC) have finally won the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally in Clonakilty.

Organisers of the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally in Clonakilty have been dealt a double blow this evening with the withdrawal of two of the top ten seeds.

The opening round of the Petro Systems National Forest Rally Championship, the Tipperary Sean Conlon Memorial Rally, was won by the Cork/Limerick combination of Keith Cronin/Greg Shinnors.