Rallying history will be made in Sunday's Killarney Historic Stages Rally when Billy Coleman will have one of his sons Robert reading the pace notes in their first event together.
The Coleman father and son team are number one seeds in a Porsche 911. The Porsche presence will be very dominant indeed, with Robert Droogmans (Belgium) heading Dessie Nutt (Derry), Geoff Crabtree (Kent), and John Keatley (Derry) in the historic class.
The biggest battle of all is likely to be in the classic section, with Cathal Rogers (Draperstown), Paul Lietar (Belgium), Joe McGurk (Cavan) and Phil Collins in Ford Escort Mk.2's and Kieran O'Neill (Belfast) in an Opel Kadett GT/E.
The rally starts from the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, at 9.40 a.m., and will take in Moll's Gap, Healy Pass, Borlin and Gortnagane.
The Irish Schoolboy Motor Cycle Club is to bring high-profile motocross racing to Dublin next year, with development of a Grand Prix specification venue beside Kart City, Santry. Work will commence in March and the first major event is scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd, 1999.
The new RT2000 saloon racing class will go ahead at Mondello Park next year, with five drivers committed to the series and a further three expected to sign on the dotted line before Christmas. Twelve cars should be on the grid for the start of the 1999 season.
The Ford of Ireland Formula Ford Zetec Championship winner Neil Shanahan is currently at Le Mans in France where Van Diemen are testing their new cars.
Michael Keohane is testing in Britain with the Irish-owned Meritus Motorsport, and will contest Formula Opel next year.
Formula Opel was started 11 years ago by the European Formula Drivers Association (EFDA) and for 1999 will be called Formula EFDA 2000, still using 2litre Opel engines - pending a totally revised formula in 2000.
The 1999 EFDA Euroseries will be run over 10 double-header rounds, including Mondello Park on September 15th. There should be strong competition in Irish racing, with a number of drivers expected to take in EFDA Euroseries rounds.
