As the curtain falls on the already decided Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship in tomorrow’s McKelvey Asbestos Bushwhacker Rally in Omagh, the outcome of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship could also draw to a close should series leader Derek McGarrity (Ford Focus WRC) secure a top four finish.

Monaghan native Barry McKenna (Ford Fiesta R5), who co-driven by Leon Jordan, jetted in from his New York base and claimed victory in the Crafted Fitted Furniture Cork Forest Rally that was based in Mallow and counted as two rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

For the third successive year, the Donegal crew of Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett in their Applegreen backed Subaru WRC took victory in the Letterkenny based Joule Donegal International Rally. 

The desire to win the Joule Donegal International Rally is the ambition of most drivers and even an obsession for some.

Belgium’s Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 WRC) edged out champion, Sebastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta WRC), on the final stage to win round seven of the World Rally Championship, Rally Italia Sardegna, by just seven-tenths of a second.

One of the most arduous events in the World Rally Championship, Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 7), marks the beginning of Citroen’s post-Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle era.

Punching in the best times on every stage Ballylickey’s Keith Cronin and his Killarney co-driver Mikie Galvin took their new Hyundai i20 R5 to victory in the Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally.

For the Cronin brothers, Keith and Daniel, Sunday’s Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally in west Limerick has different agendas.

Waterford’s Craig Breen and his British co-driver Scott Martin had to be content with seventh place in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round six of the World Rally Championship.

As Rally Portugal begins in earnest today, Craig Breen scarcely needs reminding that he is the only driver from within the top echelon of the World Rally Championship yet to win a round of the series.

Taking the lead three stages from the finish, Donegal’s Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett (Subaru WRC) went on to win the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in a sun drenched Killarney yesterday.

Tarmac champion Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta R5) heads the entry for the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakesthat begins from Killarney tomorrow morning.

The upsurge in Irish Forest rallying continues as over 80 crews line up for tomorrow’s Abbey Hotel Munster Moonraker Rally in Ballyvourney.

Motorsport

Organisers of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (TROA) has secured a new sponsor for their series that is to be underpinned by Dance To Tipperary.

Second place on the Sunset Rally at Nutts Corner for Belfast’s Jonny Greer (Citroen DS3R5) was enough to win the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship and deny Derek McGarrity an eighth title.

Kilkenny driver Enda O’Brien powered his 2.5-litre engine Ford Escort to victory in the Germaine’s of Baltinglass Rally in Wicklow. 

The popularity of Sunday’s Germaine’s of Baltinglass Hotel Rally is reflected by an entry of 130 competitors that will be led away by top seed and favourite Kilkenny’s Enda O’Brien (Ford Escort).

Dovetailing as rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship and the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, tomorrow’s Bushwhacker Rally, in Omagh, has a cracking field.

Cork driver Keith Cronin in the M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 faces a difficult task in winning a fourth British Rally Championship crown that will be decided over the two-leg 138.com Rally Isle of Man that began last night.

It’s already a memorable season for Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and it can get even better as he edges closer to becoming the first ever driver to win all three major Irish rallying championships in the same season. 

Monaghan’s Josh Moffett returns to European Rally Championship action this weekend when he contests the Junior U28 category of Rally Rzeszow in Poland.

Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) produced a start-to-finish victory in the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, to increase his chances of winning all three major Irish rally championships.

Cork racer Matt Griffin joins up with the Singapore-based Clearwater Racing team that also includes Mok Weng Sun and Kieta Sawa to contest round three of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the iconic Nurburgring circuit in Germany on Sunday.

With his sixth victory of the season Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (27) clinched the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a comfortable victory in the FAAC Simply Automatic/Sligo Park Hotel Rally.

Defending champions Donegal’s Manus Kelly (Subaru WRC) co-driven by Donall Barrett took back-to-back wins on an exciting Joule Donegal International Rally. 

Cork racer Matt Griffin and team mate Duncan Cameron took their Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE to third place in the Silverstone 500, round six of the British GT Championship. 

Taking the lead on the third stage, Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) won the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally finishing 32.1 seconds ahead of the Subaru WRC of Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings and his Letterkenny co-driver Rory Kennedy. 

Motorsport Ireland (MI) chief executive Alex Sinclair has described this week’s meeting with rally competitors in Athlone as “something positive” as officials seek solutions to a number of problems facing the sport.

Not surprisingly, Derry’s Marty McCormack and his Mallow co-driver David Moynihan in their Tiger Risk liveried Skoda Fabia R5 ran out comfortable winners of the Donegal Forest Rally, round three of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.

The Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship is likely to have a new leader after tomorrow’s Abbey Hotel Donegal Forest Rally, the third round of the campaign as series leader and former champion Josh Moffett has withdrawn his entry due to business commitments.

Denied victory in last week’s third round of the British GT Championship at Rockingham by a controversial penalty, Cork’s Matt Griffin turns his attention to tomorrow’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) second round at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

This weekend is likely to be a defining moment in the annals of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. A glance through the list of previous winners reveal that drivers of World Rally Cars have triumphed since the Millennium, but that thread is tenuous as the new breed of R5 cars is set to bring the sequence to an end.

Cork racing driver Matt Griffin and his Clearwater Racing team-mates Mok Weng Sun and Keita Sawa claimed victory in the LMGTE Am category of ‘The 6 Hours of Silverstone’, the opening round of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone yesterday.

A ninth birthday present of a go-kart has propelled Shanagarry’s Lucca Allen towards his ultimate dream – competing in Formula 1. 

The Abu Dhabi Total WRT that includes Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Craig Breen/Scott Martin complete their competitive season on Wales Rally GB that begins today. 

Good performances don’t always guarantee good results according to Cork racing ace Matt Griffin, who competes in the penultimate round of the European Le Mans Series at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium this weekend. 

The only missing element to Roy White’s Triton Showers National Rally Championship victory is an event win in a round of the series. 

Leading all the way, Monaghan’s Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC), co-driven by James O’Reilly, survived a final-stage puncture to win the Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally in Gort.

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.