Motorsport: Greer spearheads the Irish challenge

Ian Greer, in his Taranto de Pol Toyota Corolla WRC continues to head the Irish challenge in the Ypres Rally in Belgium.

The Hillsborough driver, a former National and Tarmac champion, along with co-driver, Dean Beckett, is in fourth place.

Greer stayed in touch with rally leader, Peter Tsjoen (Toyota Corolla) but a problem with the catalytic converter saw him drop over two minutes.

After twelve stages, Greer is two minutes and 54 seconds off the rally leader, recovering from sixth to fourth place. Gregoire de Mevius (Peugeot) is in second place.

Meanwhile, Eamonn Boland/Anthony Nestor, in their NVD Subaru are in twelfth place with Dick Curran (Mitsubishi) and John O'Leary (Subaru) in 21st. and 43rd. places respectively.

Two Irish crews are out of the event, a co-efficient 20 of the European Championship.

Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson retired their Subaru World Rally Car with a broken gearbox early today while Roy White/Michael Patterson crashed their Mitsubishi - luckily, both escaped without injury.

In the Formula Renault qualifying session in Donington Park, Cork's mat Griffin qualified on the fourth row of the grid while fellow Cork ace, Robbie Coleman is on the fifth row. Carl Breeze claimed pole a thousand of a second ahead of Mark McLoughlin.