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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BRITAIN’S ambassador in Iran was summoned to the country’s foreign ministry yesterday amid growing tension over the clampdown on protesters in Tehran and other cities.

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.

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

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.

Entering the final two stages of the Enniskillen-based Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally, Derek McGarrity and co-driver, Chris Patterson lead challengers, Andrew Nesbitt/James O’Brien by 57.6 seconds.

Results after Round 1 - West Cork Rally

Eugene Donnelly scored his maiden International Rally victory with a convincing win in the West 2002 International Rally, the final round of the Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Championship in Galway.

Swapping roles from that of co-driver, Brian Murphy won the Carlow Motor Club Rallysprint at Mondello Park that attracted an entry of 150 drivers.

Former national rally champions, Peadar Hurson and Ian Porter, in their Toyota Celica ST205, are the early leaders of the Cedar Hotel Wexford Rally.