Contenders for the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and the Prestone British Rally Championship go head to head for the only time this season on the John Mulholland Ulster Rally starting in Derry this afternoon.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly has won numerous Irish rallies some of which culminated in National and Tarmac Championship titles — one of three drivers to win both in the same season. Yet, the one rally that has eluded him is, ironically, the Joule Donegal International Rally.

Controversy reigned at the Fiesta 6 Hour Endurance Race at Mondello Park yesterday where weather and track conditions led to the race being red-flagged at around half distance.

Irish rallying enjoyed one of its greatest days yesterday as Dungannon’s Kris Meeke and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle in the Abu Dhabi Total WRT-run Citroen DS3 WRC Paul Nagle won Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship.

Immersed in a test programme with Citroen’s new challenger for the 2017 World Rally Championship, this weekend’s Rally Finland, round eight of the WRC, offers the Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle the opportunity to return to competitive action in the Abu Dhabi Total WRT-run Citroen DS3 WRC to pit their skills against the WRC regulars.

The Moffett domination of the Monaghan Rally continued yesterday but it was the younger sibling Josh that won the event. 

Having built his racing career in Northampton and within earshot of Silverstone, Matt Griffin is content with life following his decision to return to his native Leeside from where he continues his globetrotting motorsport career as a professional Ferrari factory-racing driver.

Amid speculation surrounding the future prospects of Irish drivers Kris Meeke and Craig Breen, both will start out today’s Rally GB, the final round of the World Rally Championship, with the ambition of achieving impressive results.

The fourth round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally in Mallow, proved to be an epic contest between Cork driver Owen Murphy (Mitsubishi) and his Limerick co-driver Anthony Nestor, who managed to overcome the spirited challenge of Monaghan’s Jost Moffett/John Rowan (Mitsubishi) to claim a 7.4 second victory.

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

Motorsport

A broken anti-roll bar on the penultimate stage denied the Irish pair of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle a possible podium position on the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, where the Volkswagen Polo WRC team claimed the top three places.

Further to their maiden WRC win, the Irish duo of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) tackle this weekend’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round five of the World Rally Championship, in confident mood. They are also expected to benefit from redefined aerodynamics on the front end and a new bumper and redesigned wings.

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.

Motorsport: A spin midway through the final stage of Rally Sweden, the second round of the World Rally Championship denied the Irish pair of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) the opportunity of finishing sixth.

Motorsport: Out of the reckoning for a podium position after sliding off the road on Friday, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) recovered to win the Power Stage and finished 10th overall in Rallye Monte Carlo.

With their Citroen DS3 WRC armed with several significant upgrades to the engine, suspension, aerodynamics and gearbox, the Irish crew of Meeke and Paul Nagle expect to be fighting for the leading places on Rallye Monte Carlo that cranks into gear this evening.

The Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle guided their Citroen DS3 to a magnificent third place finish on Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship.

Motorsport: The Irish duo of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) had a frustrating day in Rally Poland, round seven of the World Rally Championship, and heading into the short Super Special stage late last evening, they had dropped to fifth position.

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.

Dunlop champion Declan Boyle is an absentee from Sunday’s third round encounter the Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Rally.

The son of Storm Darwin’s first fatality was working with his father at the time of the accident that claimed his life.

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.

As the Irish rallying season begins to wind down with just three events remaining, including the popular Banna Rally and the Killarney Historic Rally, some rules are set to be clarified for the 2013 season.

Irish drivers, Robert Barrable and Keith Cronin had contrastingfortunes in their respective outings in the Barum Czech Rally Zlin (Czech Republic) and Rallye Terre de Lozere (France).

Up until yesterday the S14 Subaru WRC didn’t perform well on Irish tarmac roads, but that has changed with Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings guiding the car into the lead after yesterday’s opening leg of the Topaz Donegal International Rally.

Having punched in the third fastest time on yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour de Corse, round four of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Craig Breen suffered disappointment when his Sainteloc-run Peugeot 207 S2000 broke a driveshaft on the second stage as he lost touch with the leaders.

Entering the final stage of the opening leg of the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally, the third round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Finnish driver, Juho Hanninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) led Norwegian, Andreas Mikkelsen, also in a Skoda, by just six 10ths of a second behind.

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.

NEXT year’s Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally is one of four new rounds in the global Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series.

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

NEWLY-CROWNED Irish Tarmac Group N champion, Garry Jennings headlines tomorrow’s Bailey NiteClub Redcastle Oceanfront Spa Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally, the penultimate round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

THE final round of this season’s Dunlop National Rally Championship, the Fastnet Rally, has a new base and headquarters at the Westlodge Hotel in Bantry.

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.

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

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.

REIGNING Intercontinental Rally champions, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in their Peugeot 207 S2000 are sixth overall after the opening leg of three stages of the Sata Rallye Acores, the seventh round of the series.