It’s been a topsy-turvy few days for the Prestone British Rally Championship organisers.

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.

Irish rallying hope the profits generated from this weekend’s IMSF Mondello 50 will help defray the rising costs of insurance and offset financial risks facing the sport.

There are events that will always buck the trend in Irish rallying and this weekend’s Quality Hotel West Cork Rally, the opening rounds of the Irish Tarmac Championship and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship is a prime example.

One of the most scenic locations in the country, Achill Island, provides the backdrop for the opening round of the Triton Showers Rally Championship on Sunday.

For the third year in a row, Ballylickey’s Daniel Cronin and Cavan’s Stephen McCann face one another at the six-stage Banna Beach Resort Kerry Winter Rally.

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.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly bids for a fourth successive victory at the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally this weekend - a feat that has never been achieved in the 40-year history of the Clonakilty event.

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. 

Regaining and rebuilding confidence can be a slow process for many rally drivers. Tomorrow’s Wexford Volkswagen Rally is a case in point for the top two seeds, Tyrone’s Paddy McVeigh and Welsh ace Steve Wood. Earlier this season Wood crashed his Subaru WRC out of the Abbeyleix Rally while McVeigh has been involved in a few skirmishes that altered the shape of his S12B Subaru — a championship-winning car in the hands of Cavan’s Patrick Elliott.

In his first full season on-board the FESP liveried Ford Fiesta WRC, Clonmel’s Roy White, the current leader of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship knows there are difficult times ahead as his rivals begin to apply the pressure.

The best young drivers line up to contest the Circuit of Ireland that gets underway today in 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.

Former National Rally champion, Warrenpoint’s Peadar Hurson (Subaru WRC), and his Monaghan co-driver Damien Connolly took a start to finish victory in the POC NI Distribution Tyrone Rally.

The decision by Motorsport Ireland to phase out the one-time popular single stage rallies has worked in favour of one of the newest motor clubs in the country, the Imokilly Motor Club.

Motorsport

The Joule Donegal International Rally that begins this afternoon is the best-supported event within the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and also the only three-day event in Irish rallying.

Antrim’s Derek McGarrity has secured his fifth Tour of Sperrins Rally win to extend his lead in the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

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.

Craig Breen makes no secret of his desire to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, which cranks into action this morning, doubling as round three of the European Rally Championship and also the third round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

The Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship breaks new ground this weekend as the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally makes its full debut in the series.

Motorsport: A spin midway through the final stage of Rally Sweden, the second round of the World Rally Championship denied the Irish pair of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) the opportunity of finishing sixth.

Motorsport: Losing time off the start line of last night’s opening stage of Rally Sweden, round two of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen D3 WRC) are outside the top 10 but still only 2.6 seconds off the lead after the completion of the Super Special at Karlstad. Meeke was very relaxed at the stage finish and was looking forward to today’s nine stages.

Motorsport: Three young drivers — Josh Moffett, Owen Murphy and Desi Henry — will battle it out in tomorrow’s Glens of Antrim Rally to become the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally champion.

The Acesigns Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship, resulted in a record-breaking four-in-a-row victory for Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan and his Derry co-driver Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC).

Motorsport: A strong performance over the first run of the stage paved the way for Lisburn’s Wesley Patterson (Ford Escort) and his co-driver Johnny Baird to claim victory in the Cloyne-based AceSigns-sponsored Imokilly Single Stage Rally.

The Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) made a bright start to Rally Poland – round seven of the World Rally Championship – and hold third place, seven seconds behind the VW Polo WRC of leaders Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia heading into today’s seven stages.

The make-up of next season’s Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is one of the main topics on the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) agenda in Dublin on Sunday.

Dunlop champion Declan Boyle is an absentee from Sunday’s third round encounter the Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Rally.

With the lead changing three times on the final day of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes, Monaghan pair Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) took advantage of their rivals’ problems to win the Killarney based event.

On home ground, it is not surprising that there is a wave of expectation on Craig Breen to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, round four of the European Rally Championship that gets underway in Belfast this morning.

Irish and Welsh contests are nothing new in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally and Denis Cronin and Daragh O’Riordan will have Welsh ace Melvyn Evans as their most formidable opponent when the 13-stage event starts in Clonakilty tomorrow.

With their fifth win of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) clinched the series with an emphatic victory in the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stone-throwers Rally.

Few, if any, drivers have more experience of the terrain within the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes than Denis Cronin, himself a winner of the Killarney spectacular in 2010.

Pioneers of innovation in Irish motorsport, the Killarney and District Motor Club will herald the introduction of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship on next week’s caretll.ie International Rally of the Lakes.

Lisburn’s Wesley Patterson and his Cork co-driver, Alan Whyte took their Ford Escort RS1800 to a fine victory in the Gleneagle Hotel Killarney Historic Rally.