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.

Banbridge driver Kenny McKinstry (Subaru WRC) with Kenny Hull calling the pacenotes won the Carey Cleaning Machines Icebreaker Rally in the forests of north Antrim.

Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle have ended weeks of speculation after they confirmed they are to remain with Citroen for the next three seasons.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) crowned a magnificent season with victory on the Acesigns Signmakers Cork “20” International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

Irish rallying reaches a watershed this weekend with the Acesigns Signmakers Cork “20” International Rally that begins tomorrow.

The Joule Donegal International Rally that begins this afternoon is the best-supported event within the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and also the only three-day event in Irish rallying.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC), co-driven by Monaghan’s Conor Foley, coasted to v ictory in the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney where they eased off on the closing stages to take the laurels. For Kelly, victory promoted him into the lead of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

The in-form Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) can take a major step towards annexing the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship on this weekend’s Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. 

Motorsport: Back to back victories in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally are rare achievements.

The Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship breaks new ground this weekend as the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally makes its full debut in the series.

The Irish pair Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) could find little comfort at the end of Rally Guanajuato Mexico where they finished well outside the top ten.

As the World Rally Championship moves to higher temperatures in Rally Guanajuato Mexico in stark contrast to the two rounds in Monte Carlo and Sweden, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle in their Total Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 WRC know they have to stop making the type of mistakes that have already cost them valuable championship points.

Cork driver Matt Griffin and his AF Corse team-mates, Briton Duncan Cameron and Italian Michele Rugolo, were out of luck in the 4 Hours of Estoril, the final round of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

The make-up of next season’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is one of the main topics on the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) agenda in Dublin on Sunday.

On home ground, it is not surprising that there is a wave of expectation on Craig Breen to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, round four of the European Rally Championship that gets underway in Belfast this morning.

Organisers are stepping up their promotion of the Willie Loughman Memorial Forestry Rally.

The changing dynamic within the Topaz Donegal International Rally brings a different expectation as Irish Tarmac Championship leader Darren Gass (S10 Subaru WRC) drives away from the Letterkenny start ramp this morning.

The weekend events north and south of the border provide an interesting contrast.

Whatever their individual qualities, the combination of stages in the Killarney area and those within the Beara Peninsula are probably unequalled within Europe.

Already shaping up to be a good contest between the Subaru S11 quartet of Dunlop regulars Kevin Barrett and Niall Maguire and newcomers, Thomas Fitzmaurice and Brian O’Mahony, the Dunlop National Rally Championship continues on Sunday with the Claremorris based McWilliam Park Hotel/Fleet Transport Magazine Mayo Rally.

SOME of the most renowned stages in Irish rallying, like Moll’s Gap, Caragh Lake and those in the Béara Peninsula, are the principal reason Tim McNulty opted to compete in this weekend’s Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, instead of last week’s Circuit of Ireland Rally.

IT’S a case of experience against youth for the top two seeds in this weekend’s Donnelly Group/UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally.

OVER two years since he last competed, five times Irish Tarmac champion Austin MacHale makes a return to action behind the wheel of a BMW M3 on Sunday.

ALTHOUGH Gareth MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) leads the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship and is the best placed of four drivers to win the title, he is also the driver under most pressure ahead of this weekend’s final round, the Cork ‘20’ International Rally.

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.

IT’s the second oldest rally in the world and the most recognised event in Irish motorsport. As the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland gets underway from Dundalk early tomorrow afternoon, it’s also the beginning of a new era.

YOUNG guns, Keith Cronin, 23, and Craig Breen, 20, represent the changing demographic of Irish rallying as the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship gets underway tomorrow with the Safety Direct Galway International Rally.

Although they dropped time on today's opening stage, Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) have extended their advantage through the second leg of the Letterkenny based Topaz Donegal International Rally, that consisted of eight stages.

Gaining just a fraction of a second over their rivals on the opening stage, Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) went on to dominate the opening leg of six stages of the Letterkenny-based Topaz Donegal International Rally.

Derry's Eugene Donnelly and his co-driver, Paddy Toner, in a Skoda Fabia WRC, have won the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in Scotland.

IrishTarmac Championship leader, Eugene Donnelly in his Skoda Fabia WRC leads the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in Scotland after the conclusion of last night's six stages.

Tim McNulty and co-driver, David Moynihan in their Subaru WRC have taken a thrilling victory in the 30th anniversary Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakes in Killarney.

Today's seven stages of the Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakes in Killarney saw very little between the top contenders as they battle for supremacy in this, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Championship.

Although each of the first four stages of the Circuit of Ireland Rally produced a different leader, Eugene Donnelly and his co-driver Paddy Toner were the dominant force throughout today's eight stages.

Dubliner, Gareth MacHale on board his Ford Focus WRC, heads up the entry for next week's Larsen Circuit of Ireland Rally where opposition includes a trio of drivers that have already won this iconic event.

As expected, five times World rally champion Sebastien Loeb has brought his Citroen C4 to victory in Rally Ireland today.

The second day of Rally Ireland was yet another display of domination from rally leader, Sebastien Loeb (Citroen C4 WRC).

A record-equalling fifth Irish Tarmac Championship title is one of Eugene Donnelly's goals this season.

At the end of the first leg of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, Eamonn Boland (Subaru WRC) holds a 23.8 second lead over the similar car of Kevin Lynch.

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.

With their fifth victory of the season, Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) have won the Murphy Construction/Weathermaster Cork '20' International Rally, the final round of the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship.