Motorsport: Top qualifying slot sought by Cork Formula 3 ace

Consistency and points, top the agenda for Michael Keohane in this weekend's Round 7 of the British Formula 3 Scholarship Class in Castle Combe.

The Clonakilty driver has two qualifying sessions today as he bids to attain a good grid position ahead of tomorrow's double header race.

A mere point behind joint leaders, Matthew Gilmore and Robbie Kerr, Keohane, like his rivals, knows that scoring top points in each of the races is paramount to maintaining his championship challenge.

Keohane's Meritus team has replaced the engine in his Weathermaster/Clonakilty Black Pudding/irishmobiles.com car and hopefully, Keohane can respond with some quick lap times in today's qualifying sessions.

Elsewhere, James Murphy and Emmet O'Brien along with Gary Turkington and Adam Carroll all race in the Formula Ford Zetec series.

After the opening six rounds, Carroll (Sweeney-Hopper Racing) is the best placed Irish racer, he's third overall - 11 points behind Robert Dahlgren and 27 adrift of leader, Richard Goransson of Sweden.

In the Ford Fiesta Zetec-S series, Ian Turkington and Eoin Murray are the Irish representatives.

Cork's, Alan Dwyer has been selected as the "Young Driver of the Month" for May.

The 21 year old Glanmire driver and current leader of the Formula Ford Zetec Championship also qualifies as a finalist in the "Young Racing Driver of the Year", an award scheme recently announced and worth a financial package of £25,000 to the overall winner.

Backed by the Irish Sports Council and Irish Dunlop, the "Young Racing Driver of the Year" is a scheme developed by Motorsport Ireland and similar to the "Billy Coleman Award", which acknowledges young talent in rallying.

Dwyer, who is a former kart champion, won both of the opening rounds of the Ford Zetec Championship in Mondello Park and finished fourth in round three in Kirkistown - all during May.