Derek McGarrity (Subaru WRC) set the pace on the opening stage and overnight, he leads the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland by some 25.5 seconds from the Subaru of Eugene Donnelly with Austin MacHale, also in a Subaru, third, just 2.2 seconds adrift.

Derek McGarrity, in a Subaru WRC, is the early leader of the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally that began in Enniskillen this morning.

TWO of Ireland’s young rally stars, Garry Jennings and Shaun Gallagher, are in action tomorrow in the Border Counties Rally in Scotland.

BILLY COLEMAN, arguably Ireland’s greatest rally driver, will be honoured this evening at the Motorsport International Show at the Simmonscourt Pavilion where a video entitled Tarmac Titans will be launched.

Northern Ireland’s, Derek McGarrity and his Athlone co-driver, Dermot O’Gorman, in a Subaru World Car are the overnight leaders of the Jim Clark Rally, a counting round of both the Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Championship and the Pirelli British Rally Championship.

Police have said the security alert in Ballinamallard is over after nothing suspicious was found.

Police were tonight investigating reports of an explosion at a Customs post in Northern Ireland.

In the Banbury Rally in Oxford, Irish drivers, Gary Jennings and Rory Galligan are in contention for overall victory in the Peugeot Super 106 Cup.

One of three people being questioned by detectives investigating the disappearance of a man in Northern Ireland last year was today charged with murder.

Sports ministers from both sides of the border were among thousands of mourners at the funerals of car rally champion Bertie Fisher and his son and daughter.

Thousands of mourners are expected in Co Fermanagh for the funerals of rally driver Bertie Fisher and his two children.

The critically ill widow of rally driver Bertie Fisher, who died late last night from injuries sustained in Sunday's helicopter crash in Co Fermanagh, is to undergo life-saving surgery today.