SUNDAY'S Circuit of Wicklow, co promoted by the Co Kildare MC and the Motor Enthusiasts' Club is sponsored by Burke Oil Products of Rathnew. The start and finish are in Aughrim, and this forestry event will cover 4x2 stages in Glenmalure, Ballydowling Hill, Ballinastraw and the large forest complex of Glenealy. Service will be after every two stages, at Rathdrum.
Entries have been received from championship leader Kevin O'Kane, local man Noel Driver, Dominic McNeill, Peter McCullagh, John McKeown and Des Bruton. The RIAC National Forestry Rally Championship is being run over five rounds of which the Circuit of Wicklow is Round two.
Awards for the RIAC/Final Elf National Autocross Championship were presented at a function in Carlow last Saturday night. Ger Brennan of Killarney is the overall winner with his powerful.
4 litre Chevvy Special on 42 points. Jimmy Travers of Kilkenny, last year's champion, was second on 36 points driving a Peugeot 205 GTi; with 1994 champion Maurice Cullen (Carlow) third on 29 points at the wheel of his Peugeot Mile Special.
IMRC run an end of season "fun" race meeting at Mondello Park on Sunday with lots of Formula Vee and saloon races, and a women's race.
Two Irish teams compete in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch this weekend. Alan Ring, Mark McKenna and Jeff Wright represent the Republic, with George McAlpine, Richie Ryand and Tommy Reid driving for Northern Ireland. Damien Faulkner, Derek M. Daly and Noel Dunne will also race in this prestigious meeting, with Faulkner a possible outright winner in the 1.8 litre Zetec premiership.
The Chinese are formulating plans to host a Chinese Grand Prix round of the Formula One World Championship, possibly within the next two or three years. The organisers of the inaugural race to be held at China's first permanent, Formula One standard racing facility, the Zhuai International Circuit, announced details of the China Zhuai International Races to be held on October 31st to November 3rd. Topping the programme will be the Marlboro GT endurance race, featuring the top international sportscar teams from Mclaren, Porsche and Ferrari.
The 4.32 km circuit is located in Guangdong Province just 15 km from Macau and 6 km from Hong Kong. The track is already in place, and work is progressing on a state of the art pit complex, race control tower, covered and open paddock areas, timekeeping and media centres, an 11,000 seat Grandstand and further stands around the circuit to accommodate over 50,000 spectators.
Joe Lim, general manager of Zhuhai International Circuit Ltd, said that "construction of the circuit and other facilities is well on target. The entire 1,000 acre site is comprised of not only the race track, but will also feature a range of full world class facilities including the 36 hole Lakewood Golf and Country Club (of which 18 holes and the Mountain Course club house are already open) and business and residential complexes."
Marlboro PTM racing, operated by Wexford born Peter Thompson, will run two Formula Asia cars at Zhuhai, one to be driven by the Indian 21 year old Narain.
The motor sport spotlight is also on Asia for the Hong Kong Beijing Rally starting tomorrow until October 25th, in which Carlow's Stephen Murphy drives a Honda Civic, one of a two car entry by Sanyang MIT Motorsport of Hong Kong. The Garryhill driver will have Joe Deacon of Myshall on the pace notes, and a Carlow support crew of Paul Sheill (team manager), Matty O'Reilly and Thomas Corrigan on the mechanical side.
The entry of 51 crews from 12 nations is headed by current AsiaPacific champion Kenneth Ericksson driving for the SSS Subaru Team. Subaru drivers hold the first four places in the championship, which covers rallies in Thailand, Indonesia. Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and China. Ericksson is the champion of 65 points, followed by Piero Lati and Richard Burns on 43 each.
MEC's Southern Centre Championship motorcycle trial, postponed from October 13th, will be held on Sunday in the Glendalough area of Co Wicklow. With nine rounds run, Paul McLoughlin dominates Grade A. Aaron Tracy (133 points) leads Scott Barkley (114) in Grade B, and the other grades are convincingly led by Stuart Martin (C), Mark Scanlon (D), Ross Darlington (Junior A) and Eric O'Sullivan (Junior B).
With the motocross season drawing to a close, some good action is promised on Sunday's IMMC event at Red Bog, Blessington, with riders of the calibre of Robin Mooney, Mark Norton, Robert Lynn. Mark Mooney, Greg and Gillian Kinsella entered.
