A former Brinks Allied security worker who admitted his involvement in an €1.8m cash-in-transit theft has been given an eight year sentence by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

SEVERAL championships unfold over the weekend against a backdrop of well-subscribed entries. The Dunlop National Rally Championship curtain-raiser, the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh Rally that also counts towards the Top Part West Coast Championship and the Dunlop Junior Championship, has attracted over 150 crews.

THE Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle have been stripped of their victory in last week’s Rally of Scotland.

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.

THE television series Pure Mule is, in my opinion, the finest drama work shown to date by RTÉ. If any series shows just how much alcohol has poisoned Irish life, then this is it.

I HAVE a 1997 Peugeot 305 car (value €1,500) and am struggling to put together the €539 annual motor tax.

IT’S a venture into the unknown for Dubliner George Tracey, who competes in the Swedish Rally, the second round of the World Rally Championship, that begins today.

There was a dramatic late finish to the Willie Loughman Forest Rally.

At the Ferrari-owned Mugello track in Italy, Michael Cullen won the final event of the European Ferrari

For a fourth successive time, the partnership of Eamonn Byrne and Paul Phelan proved successful in the Circuit of Ireland Retrospective Rally that concluded in Donegal town.

Leading from the start, Sean Gallagher and co-driver, Liam Costello (Escort Cosworth) dominated the Midland Mini Stage Rally in Carrick on Shannon and ran out convincing winners by 39 seconds.

CELEBRATING a century of involvement in Irish Motorsport, Dunlop is again supporting the National Rally Championship that begins in Ballina on Sunday.

THE Irish rallying championship season gets underway on Sunday against the backdrop of a strong statement from the sport’s governing body, Motorsport Ireland.

The West Cork novice pairing of Diarmuid French/Jason O’Mahony (Toyota Corolla) won the Skibbereen 100 Isles Navigation Trial following a tiebreak with national championship contenders, Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Ascona).

THE new-look RT2000 car was unveiled at the Dunlop Night of Champions in Fitzpatrick’s Killiney Castle Hotel over the weekend.

A MINIMUM prize fund of €25,000 has been put up for this season’s Formula Ireland championship that will begin in Kirkistown on April 5.

ANDREW NESBITT and NIALL MAGUIRE are still uncertain about their title defences in 2003. Nesbitt is the reigning Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac champion while Maguire is the Dunlop National Rally Champion.

BLITZING the opposition with a superb run through the third and final stage, Wexford’s Liam Wall and co driver Tommy Kelly (Ford Escort) took a dramatic last stage win on the Cooney Engineering/Esso Tipperary Rally.

WITH three races at the Avon Tyres British Formula 3 Championship at Snetterton, the pendulum has swung back in favour of Robbie Kerr, who netted two wins yesterday.

Portadown’s, Adam Carroll (Sweeney Racing) is the 2002 Avon Tyres British Formula 3 Scholarship Champion.

Robbie McGurk/Rory Kennedy, in a Group N Subaru were impressive winners of the Willie Loughman Memorial Forest Rally in Carrick on Suir.

Craig Breen from Kilkenny celebrated his twelfth birthday with a win and championship victory in the

Eamonn Byrne dominated the ninth round of the Hewison Autotest Championship at Carrick on Suir today. The former champion won all the day’s twelve tests and at the finish he was some 15 seconds clear of championship leader, J. J. Farrell.

Continuing their excellent run, Niall McShea/Michael Orr finished the highest placed of the Irish crews involved in the Network Q Rally. They were 17th overall and second in the Super 1600 category.

The seventh round of the Hewison Autotest Championship at Graiguecullen, Co Carlow resulted in a narrow win for Eamonn Byrne.

Rory Galligan, co-driven by Kerryman, Paul Nagle has won the Peugeot Super 106 Cup category of the Banbury Rally and has clinched the 2001 title. Galligan, from Oldcastle, was in superb form all through today's 14 stages.

A reversal of the top two places of the previous round, saw J.J. Farrell win the Galway Autotest at Ballinasloe where he had 1.8 seconds to spare over Saturday's Sligo winner, Eamonn Byrne.

Reigning champion, Eamonn Byrne took a solid win in the fifth round of the Hewison Autotest Championship at Tubbercurry, Co Sligo today.

Paul Doolin made it a winning start as UCD boss as they came from behind to

Michael Keohane’s race weekend at Thruxton ended with a superb win in the Scholarship class.