FROM a season where little went wrong, culminating with victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle, the current defence of their crown is proving almost the total opposite.

HAVING led the Rally Islas Canarias, round four of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge up until the eighth stage, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000), will begins today’s final leg in sixth position. Meeke set the pace from the start, taking a 4.4 second lead over the Skoda of Jan Kopecky.

The Irish duo of Kris Meeke (Dungannon) and Paul Nagle (Killarney) in their Peugeot S307 have finished second in the Barum Czech Rally Zlin, round eight of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

With six fastest stage times through today's nine tests, the North/South pairing of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle in their Peugeot UK 307 S2000 have swept into an impressive lead of 40.2 seconds at the end of the first leg of Sata Rally Azores today.

Irish interest in the Monte Carlo Rally ended earlier today when Kris Meeke (Dungannon) and his Killarney co-driver, Paul Nagle retired from the event on the first stage of the final leg.

Ireland's Kris Meeke (Dungannon) and Paul Nagle (Killarney) continue to make progress in the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

The Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, on board their Kronos run Peugeot 207 S2000, lie sixth at the end of the first day's action on the Monte Carlo Rally.

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.

Lisburn’s, Phillip Morrow is the top Irish driver after the opening leg of the Carlisle based Pirelli Rally, the first round of the British Rally Championship.

The World Rally Championship title race was blown wide open after race leader Sebastien Loeb crashed on the final day of the Italy Rally.