The in-form Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) can take a major step towards annexing the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship on this weekend’s Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. 

Even though Donegal’s Declan Boyle secured enough points to land the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship, he will contest the Acesigns Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the series.

Rally competitors can air their views on the raft of changes proposed in the Protection of Sport document at a meeting in Athlone on Sunday.

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.

A brother of model and TV presenter Glenda Gilson was today given a six-year road ban and a €3,000 fine following a dangerous drug driving incident.

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.

These are difficult times for all involved in Irish motorsport and while Sunday’s Circuit of Munster Rally is going ahead as planned, a number of the top crews have withdrawn as a mark of respect following the fatalities at last week’s Cavan Rally.

Whatever their individual qualities, the combination of stages in the Killarney area and those within the Beara Peninsula are probably unequalled within Europe.

A brother of model and TV presenter Glenda Gilson could have killed someone because of his dangerous drug driving, a judge said yesterday.

The revamped Dunlop National Rally Championship begins on Sunday with the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally and a capacity entry for the nine stages around Rathdowney.

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.

Irish Tarmac Rally champion Tim McNulty welcomes the challenge of Sunday’s Safety Direct Galway International Rally, the opening round of the series.

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.

THE Bantry-based Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally brings the Dunlop National Rally Championship to a fitting finale on Sunday with a cracking entry featuring no fewer than seven World Rally Cars in a quality line-up.

FORMER five-times Irish Tarmac champion Eugene Donnelly is a dramatic late entry for next week’s Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally in Bantry.

BRIDGING a 25-year gap, Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan (29) became the first Cork driver since Billy Coleman to win the Silver Springs Moran Hotel/Orchard Motorsport Cork “20 International Rally.

THE Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship could be decided in tomorrow’s Omagh-based Bushwhacker Rally, the penultimate round of both the Irish series and the Hankook Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

TIM McNULTY and co-driver Paul Kiely (Subaru WRC) won their sixth event in the Dunlop National Rally Championship with victory in the Auburn Lodge Hotel Clare Rally to clinch the national series.

WITH an unbeaten record in the current Dunlop National Rally Championship, Tim McNulty, can clinch his first major title on Sunday’s eighth round of the series in Clare although he will need a little help from his rivals.

THERE is unlikely to be a stampede of Irish applicants for the second intake at the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.

ALTHOUGH three drivers have won the National Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Championship (ITC) at different times, no driver has ever won the two championships in the same season.

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.

TEAMS will tackle six stages in Co Antrim this afternoon in their respective opening legs of the Todds Leap Ulster Rally and the Todds Leap International Rally Northern Ireland, part of the Irish Tarmac Rally and Dulux Trade British Rally championships.

TIME may be running out for Tim McNulty’s rivals to thwart his bid for the Dunlop National Rally Championship title.

PRESENTLY enjoying a fine debut season in his Skoda Fabia S2000, Dubliner Robert Barrable has received an official invitation to compete in the Barum Rally (August 26-28) in the Czech Republic, round seven of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge series.

WHAT appeared to be a cracking entry for Sunday’s Kilkenny-based Suirway Farm Machinery Raven’s Rock Rally, the fifth round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, has been decimated by a series of withdrawals.

ALTHOUGH Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC) and Alastair Fisher (Ford Fiesta S2000) each shared three fastest times over yesterday’s six stages of the opening leg of the Topaz Donegal International Rally, the former will take a 28.6 second lead in to today’s second leg of the Letterkenny-based rally, the fourth round of the Irish Tarmac Championship.

THE Quaife British Rallycross Championship and Summer Rallycross dovetail at Mondello Park on Sunday, where reigning Irish champion Tommy Graham will have plenty of opposition in the Supercar division.

WITH little room for error, Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC) and co-driver, Paul Kiely were pushed all through the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally before claiming their fourth successive victory in the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

HAVING dominated the Dunlop National Rally Championship so far, it remains to be seen if any of Tim McNulty’s title rivals have the ability to stop him as he goes in search of another victory at Sunday’s Hotel Kilmore Cavan Rally.

EVEN though he had to replace the power steering pump on three separate occasions, Meath’s, Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC) maintained his unbeaten sequence in the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

THE most anticipated round of the World Rally Championship, the Rally Italy in Sardinia, has enormous Irish interest with the competition debut of the Mini John Cooper Works WRC.

SOME of the most renowned stages in Irish rallying, like Moll’s Gap, Caragh Lake and those in the Béara Peninsula, are the principal reason Tim McNulty opted to compete in this weekend’s Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, instead of last week’s Circuit of Ireland Rally.

IT’S a case of experience against youth for the top two seeds in this weekend’s Donnelly Group/UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally.

REIGNING Dunlop National Rally champion, Mel Evans and current Irish Tarmac championship leader, Tim McNulty, both in Subaru WRCs, go head to head in Sunday’s opening round of the Dunlop series, the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally that also marks the beginning of the Top Part West Coast Rally series.

THE ambition to succeed in the new World Rally Championship Academy series has prompted young Irish rally star, Craig Breen, to alter his plans for the forthcoming season.

ALTHOUGH Gareth MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) leads the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship and is the best placed of four drivers to win the title, he is also the driver under most pressure ahead of this weekend’s final round, the Cork ‘20’ International Rally.

IT was a historic day for Irish rallying yesterday as the Welsh crew ofMel Evans/Patrick Walsh (Subaru) became the first overseas crew to win the Dunlop National Rally Championship.

REIGNING Intercontinental Rally champions, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in their Peugeot 207 S2000 are sixth overall after the opening leg of three stages of the Sata Rallye Acores, the seventh round of the series.

CHRIS PATTERSON (41) will be the new partner for Norwegian driver Petter Solberg in the World Rally Championship. Early last month, Phil Mills, Solberg’s regular co-driver, stepped down from his role with the flamboyant Norwegian, who has 152 WRC starts including 13 wins and one world title.