Although it is almost a quarter of a century since Peadar Hurson won the National Rally Championship on board an Opel Ascona 400, the Warrenpoint driver remains a potent threat in Irish rallying.

Aiming to win the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally for an unprecedented fourth time, Daragh O’Riordan (Ford Fiesta WRC) heads a close-to- capacity entry for what is the final counter in the Tritons Showers National Rally Championship and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 series.

The most prestigious award in Irish motor racing, the Leinster Trophy, awaits the winner of Sunday’s Formula Ford race in Mondello Park. Drivers like John Watson, Eddie Jordan, Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen have all lifted the famous trophy at the Kildare venue and on Sunday Meath’s Stephen Daly will be hoping to retain the trophy for another 12 months.

Warrenpoint driver Peadar Hurson secured a splendid victory in the 4x4 Exporter Galway Summer Rally, the penultimate round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The timing of a press release from the Donegal Motor Club on Wednesday lunchtime stating its intention to continue as part of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship is hugely surprising.

All season long Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) has been a consistent barometer of pace in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. 

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.

Donagh Kelly’s record in this season’s Triton Showers National Rally Championship is near perfect.

The Donegal/Derry combination of Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) continued their dominance of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a facile victory on the Deebert House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally that was based in Kilmallock.

Donagh Kelly - the dominant driver in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship - will again be the one to beat in Sunday’s fourth round Circuit of Munster Rally.

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. 

The Moffett siblings Sam and Josh in identical Ford Fiesta WRC’s are part of an intriguing line-up for Sunday’s Monaghan Rally, round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Although they led the Tralee-based Fels Point Circuit of Kerry Rally from the start, the Kerry/Cork duo of Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy in the Munster Joinery liveried S12B Subaru WRC had to push hard through the final stage to ensure victory.

Former Irish National and Tarmac Group N champion, Kerry’s Alan Ring, admits that it’s taking him time to adjust the power and pace of the Mel Evans S12B Subaru WRC. 

There is another capacity entry for a round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with the Midland Moto Rally in Roscommon providing the latest episode of the eight round series. 

The new Triton Showers National Rally Championship got underway with the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally and victory went to Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) and his Derry co-driver Kevin Flanagan.

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 high rate of attrition ripped through the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally that was won by Cork driver Darragh O’Riordan (Ford Fiesta WRC) and his Derry co-driver Tony McDaid.

In contrast to last year when Declan Boyle clinched the Dunlop National Rally Championship at the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally, the Donegal driver will journey to South Tipperary this weekend to keep his current title bid alive.

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.

With the lead changing three times on the final day of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes, Monaghan pair Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) took advantage of their rivals’ problems to win the Killarney based event.

Already the highest seeded Kerry driver in this weekend’s Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney, Alan Ring is switching to an S12B Subaru WRC on what is perceived as the toughest event in this year’s Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

These are busy times for Monaghan driver Sam Moffett.

Irish and Welsh contests are nothing new in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally and Denis Cronin and Daragh O’Riordan will have Welsh ace Melvyn Evans as their most formidable opponent when the 13-stage event starts in Clonakilty tomorrow.

Few, if any, drivers have more experience of the terrain within the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes than Denis Cronin, himself a winner of the Killarney spectacular in 2010.

Thomas Fitzmaurice (Subaru) heads a cracking entry for Sunday’s Carlton Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally in Tralee.

Irish driver Craig Breen on board his Kel-Tech liveried Ford Fiesta won the S2000 World Rally Championship after he secured a category win on the Rally de Espana, the final round of the series.

Rally Italia Sardegna, the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship, continues today against the backdrop of the withdrawals of two manufacturers and a change in driver line-up.

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

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

Knowing that every second counts, Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan is favourite to win the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally this weekend.

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.

Armagh’s Darren Gass (23) and his Monaghan co-driver, Enda Sherry in their S10 Subaru took a thrilling victory in the Safety Direct Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Championship.

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

FIVE times Irish Tarmac rally champion, Eugene Donnelly will make a dramatic return to the series behind the wheel of a Derek McGeehan run MINI WRC in next Month’s Safety Direct Galway International 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.

SPECULATION is rife that next year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally will be included in the global Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series.

BRIDGING a 25-year gap, Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan (29) became the first Cork driver since Billy Coleman to win the Silver Springs Moran Hotel/Orchard Motorsport Cork “20 International Rally.