Irish pair seek to reign in Spain

As the season’s World Rally Championship nears an end with this weekend’s Rally Spain, the Irish duo of Tyrone’s Kris Meeke and Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle hope to deliver the type of performance that secured wins in Poland and Finland earlier this year.

They are part of a three-car Abu Dhabi Total WRT that also includes Craig Breen/Scott Martin and Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson.

It’s a mixed-surface event — gravel today and tarmac tomorrow and Sunday. The Irish have good memories of the event: Meeke scored his first stage win in Spain in 2011 before going on to score his first points in the WRC. A year later Breen scored his first WRC points in this rally.

Sebastien Ogier (VW Polo WRC) has his second opportunity to wrap up a fourth successive World Rally Championship title. He requires 16 championship points — third, and a point from the Power Stage will suffice. Volkswagen needs 20 points more than Hyundai to secure its fourth manufacturers’ title.

On the home front tomorrow, Antrim’s Derek McGarrity (Fiesta WRC) can clinch yet another Northern Ireland Rally Championship title by claiming a handful of points in the Down Rally based in Castlewellan.

In championship terms, only Draperstown’s Camillus Bradley (Escort) can deny him the title by achieving a strong finish in the event of McGarrity posting a very low or even a non-finish.

Event opposition is provided by the Fiesta R5 of Brendan Cumiskey, former champion Kenny McKinstry (Subaru WRC) and Jonny Greer (Citroen DS3 R5). Aside from Bradley the two-wheel drive competition features Wesley Patterson, Damian Toner and David Armstrong, all in Mk 2 Escorts.

Although they are 11 points off the lead of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, the Antrim/Cork duo of Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) can tighten their grip on the series that reaches the penultimate stage on Sunday with the Lyons of Limerick Forest Rally that is based in Murroe.

Portglenone driver Henry is the only driver in the top three to have won this year. Series leader Cork’s Gerard Lucey (Mitsubishi) has scored in all five rounds. Currently, Lucey is five points ahead of Michael Carbin. Unlike Henry both will have to drop scores with the series based on the best five from seven events.

Henry is favourite but he has little room for error as one non-finish could scupper him. Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Fiesta R5) is top seed. Others on the Limerick entry are Patrick O’Brien (Mitsubishi), Dermot Kelly (Mitsubishi), Niall Henry (Mitsubishi), Mark Murphy (Mitsubishi), Mickey Conlon (Escort) and Shane McGirr (Starlet). The first of six stages starts at 11.13am.

Nine Irish karters will compete in this weekend’s Iame World Finals competition near Le Mans. The team consists of Juniors: Sé Óg Martin, Luca Allen and Cormac Dunne. Seniors: Ross Hayes, Gary Edwards and Jonathan Brown. Masters: Garry Turkington, Mark Daly and Ritchie Faulkner. Tomorrow’s Cork Startrek Navigation Trial, based in Whitechurch, begins the National Navigation Trial Championship and its Munster counterpart.

• Motorsport Ireland has announced William Kellett (16) from Kells, Co Meath as the Young Racing Driver of the Month for August.