THANKS to sponsorship from Barum tyres, the Republic of Ireland will be represented by a very strong six-man team in the FIA Inter-Nations Cup Rallycross at Alecon-Essay in France this weekend. Irish and British champion Dermot Carnegie (Dublin) and John Moloney (Limerick) will compete in the Supercar Division Two in Ford Escort RS Cosworths, and Lloyd Spendlove, of Delgany, Co Wicklow, will be at the wheel of his Peugeot 205.
Cork-born Kevin Twomey of Barum tyres and Co Kildare driver Tommy Graham will run Escort RS Cosworths in Division One, along with Helmut Holfeld (Cabinteely) in a BMW. Managed by the Co Kildare Motor Club, under the direction of Robert Moody, much is expected of the Irish team, particularly Carnegie, against the top European drivers.
There are several home counter-attractions to Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone: motorcycle road racing at Fore, Co Westmeath; round eight of the RIAC/Coras National Rally Championship run out of Sligo; International Youth Motocross at Johnstown, Co Kildare, and two European Hillclimb Championship events at Dungarvan, Co Waterford.
Following the unqualified success of last Saturday's Castrol Skerries road races, upwards of 10,000 motorcycle racing fans will descend on the Westmeath village of Fore for Sunday's races over the 3.5-mile circuit, the lap record for which is held by Ulsterman Johnny Rea on a 750cc Yamaha at 99.53 mph. James Courtney, the 26-year-old Co Antrim rider, returns to racing at Fore, having been out of action following a crash at Kirkistown in April.
The Fore entry includes Gary Dynes, who scored two wins at Skerries, and two more Skerries winners, Dennis McCullough and Ricky Mitchell. Steve Galligan, Joe Newton, Charlie O'Neill and Andy Kinsella are some of the top sidecar pilots entered.
After Saturday practise, there will be two non-championship races for 125/200cc and classic bikes. Racing on Sunday starts at 11.30 am. The eight- race programme includes the Race of the South, for the fastest riders.
Motorcycle sport of a different kind takes place at Johnstown Moto-Park, and heading the big entry for this International Youth Motocross are Honda- sponsored Leon Woodford, Ives Baekelandt and Mike van Calsteren of Belgium, and the McKeown and Laverty brothers from Ulster.
Britain's Tim Heasman, on a works l25cc Suzuki, will be challenged by Ireland's Gordon Crockard (current leader of the National Championship), Trevor Cubitt, Adam Lyons, Mark Mooney, Niall Costello and Graeme Vigors in the Volkswagen Under-21 Challenge.
After seven rounds of the RIAC/Coras National Rally Championship, Stephen Murphy holds a dominant lead on 116 points to the 70 of joint second placed Eamonn Boland and John Gilleece. Murphy, in the Statoil Ford Escort RS Cosworth, will wrap up the championship for the second successive year if he continues to add on the points over Sunday's Sligo Rally and the Clare Stages on July 28th.
Ireland's first rounds of the European Hillclimb Championship will be held at "The Sweep", just outside Dungarvan, tomorrow and Sunday. The record is held by Richard Young in a time of 52.15 seconds, which is an average speed of over 90 mph. The course length is extended to 1.6 miles (2.56 kms) to comply with European requirements, but the overseas response is disappointing.
On a much more leisurely pace, the old timers takes to the roads in three Sunday events - Veteran and Vintage runs at Dungarvan, Dublin to Kildare, and Trim, Co Meath. The 11th Annual Motor Festival at Trim features 90 years of Ford, and will be attended by the Wolseley Car Club of Ireland, Morgan Clubs of Ireland, Great Britain and Germany and the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Club - lots to see over two days.
