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).

Sam Moffett will create Irish motorsport history once he checks in at the first control of this weekend’s Acesigns Cork “20” International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship

Contenders for the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and the Prestone British Rally Championship go head to head for the only time this season on the John Mulholland Ulster Rally starting in Derry this afternoon.

Banbridge driver Kenny McKinstry (Subaru WRC) with Kenny Hull calling the pacenotes won the Carey Cleaning Machines Icebreaker Rally in the forests of north Antrim.

Aware of the need to secure a good result for both themselves and their Citroen team, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle set out this morning with a podium place as their target in Rally Australia.

The Moffett siblings Sam and Josh in identical Ford Fiesta WRC’s are part of an intriguing line-up for Sunday’s Monaghan Rally, round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Motorsport: Out of the reckoning for a podium position after sliding off the road on Friday, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) recovered to win the Power Stage and finished 10th overall in Rallye Monte Carlo.

With their Citroen DS3 WRC armed with several significant upgrades to the engine, suspension, aerodynamics and gearbox, the Irish crew of Meeke and Paul Nagle expect to be fighting for the leading places on Rallye Monte Carlo that cranks into gear this evening.

Motorsport: Waterford’s Craig Breen begins his attack on the European Rally Championship that gets underway today with the Internationale Jannerrallye in Austria.

Dominant through the opening stage, Cork’s Denis Moynihan and his Kerry co-driver Ger Conway in their Airflow Services/Daikin backed Mk 1 Ford Escort went on to take a deserved victory in the Rentokil-Initial Killarney Historic Rally, the first round of the 2015 Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Historic Championship.

THIS weekend’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood is one of the highlights of the motoring year for petrolheads the world over, with an alluring mix of some of the finest racing machines ever to take to the track and appearances by many of the men and women who drove them.

The recent announcement that Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle will lead the new look Abu Dhabi Citroen team in next season’s World Rally Championship is a tribute to their perseverance as much as their ability.

The West Limerick Forest Rally, the opening round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, ended with a dramatic final stage victory for County Down’s, Philip Morrow and co-driver, Johnny Hart.

The Irish crew of Eamonn Boland/Mickey Joe Morrissey (Subaru) had an untroubled run through the penultimate leg of the Monte Carlo Rally where world champion, Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) seems set for yet another victory.

Little over a year ago, Irish karting was hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Over 100 crews will tackle tomorrow’s Gleneagle Hotel Killarney Historic Rally that doubles as the opening round of the 2013 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and final round of this season’s Southern 4 Historic Rally Championship.

Craig Breen has been voted World Rally Driver of the Year by the WRC.

Irish driver Craig Breen on board his Kel-Tech liveried Ford Fiesta won the S2000 World Rally Championship after he secured a category win on the Rally de Espana, the final round of the series.

Sebastien Loeb wrapped up his ninth consecutive World Rally Championship title in style with victory on home soil in France today.

Trading times with his rivals through the various stages of Rallye de France Alsace, Waterford’s Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta) is just 2.2 seconds behind leader Hayden Paddon (Skoda Fabia) in the S2000 category of the World Rally Championship with series leader, PG Andersson (Proton Satria) over a minute adrift in third.

Dunlop National Rally Championship leader Thomas Fitzmaurice has promised to intensify his attempt to win the series that moves to the penultimate stage at Sunday’s Auburn Lodge Clare Rally in Ennis.

On his debut in a recently acquired S12B Subaru World Rally Car, Donegal’s Declan Boyle took a dramatic victory in the Mor Oil Galway Summer Rally, round four of the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship.

Sebastien Loeb continued his dominance of the German Rally as he moved into a commanding lead on today’s second leg to stand on the brink of his ninth victory in this event.

Sebastien Loeb made a potentially decisive move in his quest for a ninth successive World Rally Championship title with a commanding first-day performance in Rallye Deutschland.

Cork’s Matt Griffin is upbeat ahead of this weekend’s fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone.

Entering today’s final six stages of Rally Finland, Waterford’s Craig Breen and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle lead the way in the S-WRC category.

At the end of the first leg of Rally Finland, round eight of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Ford Fiesta S2000) hold fourth place in the S-WRC category.

On what was his first rally in over eight months, Wexford’s James Stafford, in his rear wheel drive Darrian T90 GTR, took a well-earned victory in the Kilkenny-based Raven’s Rock Rally.

Yesterday’s, Cavan Rally was marred by tragedy during the first stage of the event near Bailieborough.

Irish motorsport lost a great competitor and friend this week with the passing of Rory Galligan (39), who died after a battle with motor neuron disease.

There is no real explanation why the Carlton Hotel Circuit of Kerry is one of the most hotly contested events in Irish rallying. On four occasions in recent times the rally has ended in a tie-break situation and three have involved current leader of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Niall Maguire.

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.

EVEN though Sebastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) leads the Monte Carlo Rally by a considerable margin, the world champion is taking nothing for granted given the vagaries of the weather and road conditions.

WITH five out of six fastest stage times, Sebastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) extended his overall lead in the Monte Carlo Rally to a minute and 37.2 seconds as the battle for second between Dani Sordo (MINI WRC) and Petter Solberg (Fiesta WRC) hotted up.

WORLD champion Sebastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) made the perfect start to his Monte Carlo Rally title defence as he ended the first day over a minute ahead of Dani Sordo (Mini WRC).

THE performance of reigning World Rally Academy champion, Craig Breen, will be monitored closely on the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the World Rally Championship that begins today.

THE World Rally Championship gets underway next week with the Monte Carlo Rally and according to Corkman Gerard Quinn, winning the manufacturers’ title remains the holy grail while having the world champion driver is also a tantalising prospect.

IRISH interest in next month’s Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the 2012 World Rally Championship, has been severely diluted as Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and his Kerry co-driver, Paul Nagle do not appear on the 89-strong entry list that was announced earlier this week.

DUNLOP National Rally champion, Tim McNulty will receive the Vard Memorial Trophy at the National Rally Championship awards ceremony at the Clayton Hotel, Galway tomorrow night.

UNDER pressure throughout the event, Waterford’s, Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta) and his Welsh co-driver, Gareth Roberts were crowned the FIA WRC Academy Champions after clinching the title with victory in Rally GB, the final round of the series to claim the top prize worth €500,000.

THE Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (MINI WRC) begins today’s second leg of Rally GB, the final round of the World Rally Championship, in fifth place following a solid run through yesterday’s opening three stages.