MacHale leads all star cast at Mayo rally

OVER two years since he last competed, five times Irish Tarmac champion Austin MacHale makes a return to action behind the wheel of a BMW M3 on Sunday.

Driving the same car that brought the Dubliner four Irish Tarmac wins – two in Galway (1990 and 1991) and one each in Cork (1990) and Donegal (1990) he will be one of the main attractions at the McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Rally in Claremorris.

MacHale, on his first outing since Rally Ireland 2009, will drive the Billy Coogan BMW M3 that has been restored to the Xtra vision livery, an association that worked extremely well for him in the 1990s.

Four world rally cars head the entry in a top 10 that also includes the flamboyant Phil Collins in his venerable Mk 2 Ford Escort and, like MacHale, he is part of the Masters Challenge.

Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett (Subaru WRC) and his Limerick co-driver Sean Mullally are the top seeds and from a short-lived encounter in the Abbeyleix Rally, they will be hoping for a much better outing.

Opposition included Omagh’s Seamus Leonard, also in a Subaru WRC. His regular nemesis in the Dunlop series is Niall Maguire and another Monaghan driver Adrian McElvaney.

Leonard and McElvaney had few outings last season, yet the former should adapt quickly. Maguire and Barrett are utilising the Mayo event to sharpen their pace for the Dunlop campaign.

Although Collins is a regular visitor to these shores, this will be his first taste of competitive action in Mayo. Fellow Escort pair, Derry’s, Camillus Bradley and Meath’s Trevor Mulligan should ensure he will have a tough battle.

The Group N showroom category will feature Strabane’s Pat Kirk and Donegal’s Trevor Bustard (both Mitsubishi).

The first of the nine stages (3x3) is at 9.30am with servicing after each loop adjacent to rally headquarters, at the McWilliam Park Hotel. The event is scheduled to finish at 5pm.

The rally will showcase the new Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Motorsport Ireland (MI) Safety Initiative aimed at promoting safe driving to those aged between 17 and 24.

The RSA’s Road Safety Interactive Shuttle will also be present in Claremorris. The facility offers state of the art simulators, multi-media experiences and plays an integral part in the RSA’s role in increasing road safety awareness.

The rally is also the first round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and will include a Honda Challenge. Former Dunlop National Rally champion, Aaron MacHale is one of the assistant clerks of the course.

The Irish Rallycross Championship concludes in Mondello Park on Sunday. The Junior series is still in the balance. Niall Murray and Tom Holton share the lead while Mark Francis, Joel Richardson and Jake Byrne all have a mathematical chance of lifting the title.

Elsewhere, the Kerry Autotest double header in the Hewison series at the Tralee Racecourse, begins at 2pm tomorrow and 11am on Sunday.

The karting season begins at Kartworld, Watergrasshill, with the Munster Karting club as hosts on Sunday.

Applications for competitor licences for the first two months of 2011 are almost in line with the corresponding figure for last year.

“If we can hold that position throughout the year, I would be absolutely delighted,” said Motorsport Ireland Chief Executive, Alex Sinclair.

Meanwhile, commenting on the report on the 2009 Donegal International Rally, he added: “It didn’t tell me anything new. It sets out the facts and makes a number of recommendations, some of which have already been implemented. It’s a job of work that had to be done.”

The most significant comment in the 25-page document stated: “It is apparent that officials jumped to conclusions without having all the facts.”

Following his victory in last Saturday’s Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir Forest Rally, the second round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, Cork driver Owen Murphy (42 points) is seven points ahead of Monaghan’s, Vincent McAree with Tipperary’s Liam Ryan on 33 points.

The next round of the series is the Munster Moonraker Forest Rally on Sunday April 10.

The Clare and Galway motor clubs have combined their resources for the double-header round of the National Hillclimb Championship on April 16 and 17.

The Clare club will host the Corkscrew Hillclimb on April 16 and the Galway organisers will run the Ballyalban climb on the following day.