Maguire keen to maintain his grip

REGIONAL Championships are important to former triple national champion, Niall Maguire, who is the top seed for Sunday’s Ennis-based Auburn Lodge Clare Rally, the fifth round of the Top Part West Coast Championship.

The Monaghan native heads the standings after four of the seven rounds and is 10 points ahead of Kerry’s Thomas Fitzmaurice. Of course the nine-stage event will also provide him with a valuable workout ahead of the penultimate round of the Dunlop series, the Donegal Harvest Rally in three weeks’ time. “I will use the Subaru S10 in Clare. Championships such as the Top Part are important, I’m keen to hold onto the lead. My son Shane is also competing so that’s another reason for making the trip down to Clare.”

Maguire faces another Dunlop contender in the Banner County as Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings (Mitsubishi) is also on a shakedown exercise in the run in to the Dunlop Group N title. The way the recent Galway event panned out will be encouraging for Jennings and he should be able to give Maguire a good battle over the roads around the Burren. Local hero Anthony O’Halloran (Mitsubishi) will try to emulate his second place finish of a few years ago. Thomas Fitzmaurice, who led the Group N category of the Dunlop series over the early rounds, will try and close the deficit to Maguire. Top two-wheel drive competitor, Mike Quinn (Ford Escort), who has Clare’s Grainne McEnery calling the notes, is third in the regional series. Boosted by his third place in the Circuit of Kerry, a repeat performance will be on his radar. Other entries include Andrew Purcell (Mitsubishi), who could spring a surprise; Trevor Bustard (Mitsubishi), Ed Synan (Ford Escort) and Richard Casey (Ford Escort), who completes the top 10. Having clinched both the Irish and British Fiesta Sporting Trophy series, Kilkenny’s Craig Breen will continue to test the M-Sport Fiesta R2. Great credit is due to the Clare club in attracting a capacity entry.