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.

It was a victory to savour for the locals as Donegal cousins Declan Boyle and Brian Boyle (Subaru) won the Letterkenny-based Donegal International Rally, round four of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

Motorsport: Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) finished 5.2 seconds in front of the Ford Fiesta WRC of Monaghan’s Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly at the end of the first leg of the Donegal International Rally, round four of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

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

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.

Leader of the Carryduff Forklift Northern Ireland Rally Championship, Antrim’s Derek McGarrity (Subaru WRC) has dual targets in tomorrow’s Newry based Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally.

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.

Darren Gass is the 2012 Irish Tarmac Rally Champion after this weekend’s Cork “20” International Rally.

Local hero Darragh O’Riordan (Subaru WRC) bids to record back-to-back wins in this weekend’s Orchard Motorsport Cork ‘20’ International Rally as Armagh’s Darren Gass (Subaru WRC) aims to seal his inaugural Irish Tarmac title with Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings, the only other driver that can win the title, a doubtful starter.

Three years ago Cork driver Keith Cronin set a target to win the British Rally Championship.

Competitors in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the British Rally Championship will traverse the same stages under their respective banners of the Ulster Rally and Rally Northern Ireland this afternoon.

Tomorrow is a red letter day for the fledgling Imokilly Motor Club who will host their first ever stage rally since affiliating with Motorsport Ireland six years ago.

At first glance, the Irish motorsport calendar is a list of more than 220 events at various locations involving several spectrums of the sport.

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.

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.

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

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.

The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship celebrated its 50th different winner of a round of its series since its inception in 1978 when Darren Gass won last weekend’s Safety Direct Galway International Rally, the opening round of the 2012 campaign.

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.

WATERFORD’S Craig Breen (Fiesta S2000) made the best possible start to his SWRC title challenge with a category victory in the Monte Carlo Rally that was won by Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb.

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.

SECOND place doesn’t sit that comfortably with Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC), yet, for more than two thirds of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally, it was a position he held.

ANTRIM’S Derek McGarrity (Subaru WRC) will begin today’s second and final leg of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally with a 19.3 second advantage over Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC), with Armagh’s Darren Gass, also in a Subaru WRC, a minute and five seconds further adrift in third.

TEAMS will tackle six stages in Co Antrim this afternoon in their respective opening legs of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally and the Todds Leap International Rally Northern Ireland, part of the Irish Tarmac Rally and Dulux Trade British Rally championships.

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.

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.

A LATE entry from Armagh’s Darren Gass (Subaru WRC) has added extra spice to Sunday’s Carlton Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally in Tralee, the second round of the Top Part West Coast Championship.

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.

NORWAY’s Petter Solberg and Irish co-driver, Chris Patterson begin today’s second stage of the Neste Oil Rally Finland in first position after setting the fastest time on last evening’s opening stage.

Gareth MacHale, driving a Ford Focus WRC, dominated today's nine stages of the opening leg of the Cork "20" International Rally, the final and deciding round of the Irish Tarmac 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.

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

Derry's Eugene Donnelly and co-driver Paddy Toner (Skoda Fabia) have won the Circuit of Ireland Rally today.

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.

The outcome of the Fels Points Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally, the third round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, went right down to the eighth and final stage.

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.

Derry driver, Kevin Lynch, co-driven by Francis Regan, powered his Subaru WRC to a start to finish victory on the Turkington Holdings Lurgan Park Rally today.

Manx native Mark Higgins and his Letterkenny co driver Rory Kennedy, on board their Group N Subaru, hung on for victory at the Rally Isle of Man today.

MANX born driver, Mark Higgins and his Donegal co-driver, Rory Kennedy, in their Group N Subaru strengthened their grip on Rally Isle of Man through yesterday’s twelve stages.

Another good day for Manx native, Mark Higgins and his Donegal co-driver, Rory Kennedy, in their Group N Subaru, who extended their lead in Rally Isle of Man, a counting round of both the Irish Tarmac and British Rally Championships.

Fastest through the evening’s final and longest stage, Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru) have an overnight lead of 18 seconds over Guy Wilks/David Moynihan (Mitsubishi) in the Rally Isle of Man International.

Irish driver Phillip Morrow and his co-driver, Daniel Barrett, in a Mitsubishi, finished fourth overall in the Carlisle-based Pirelli Rally, the first round of the British Rally Championship, today.