THE REIGNING champion Stephen Murphy (Carlow) and Wexford's Eamonn Boland in Ford Escort RS Cosworths head the 130 competitors in Sunday's Downhill Hotel Mayo Stages Rally, the opening round of the RIAC/Vard Coras National Rally Championship.
Mickey Farrell (Ardee), the 1994 championship winner, is entered in his Subaru Legacy, and Belfast dentist John Gilleece in an Escort Cosworth complete the top quartet.
Murphy and Farrell have not declared their National Championship intentions, but Boland and Gilleece are committed to the series and are serious championship contenders.
Another capacity entry has been received by the Cork Motor Club for the Keohane Readymix West Cork Rally on March 16th-17th. Liam O'Callaghan and James O'Brien of Kanturk are running the Esso Ultron Tovota Celica GT4 in this event, in preparation for the AA Circuit of Ireland at Easter, having been third in the recent Statoil Galway International.
For the first time, the Circuit will feature stages in the Republic on Good Friday. Northern stages include the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra, Hamilton's Folly and Knociveagh, before service at Newry at 11.30 am.
There will be a full service in the RDS Ballsbridge, followed by stages at Sally Gap, Co Wicklow, and in Co Laois at Rock of Dunamase and Wolthill. After service in Portlaoise the rally route will be to Limerick for the first of two overnight halts.
The Easter Saturday Dunlop Stages will be around Adare in Co Limerick. On Easter Sunday the route will take in stages at Lough Nafooey and Partry Mountain, service in Westport and a halt in Slig. The Rally finishes on Easter Monday back in Bangor from around 3 p.m.
The entry is expected to include Bertie Fisher in a Subaru Impreza, Frank Meagher, James Cullen, Stephen Murphy and Peadar Hurson in Escort Cosworths, Liam O'Callaghan, Ian Greer and Andrew Nesbitt in Toyota Celica GT4s. Stephen Finlay, the 1994 winner, is likely to have a one off Circuit drive in an Escort Cosworth, but no news yet of the plans by Austin McHale, 1993 winner.
Graham Keating, the 18 years old kart racer was lucky to survive head injuries sustained during qualifying for the All Ireland Championships in Limerick last year. He crashed into the barriers trying to avoid an on track collision with two spinning karts, and the resultant injuries left him unconscious for two days. Within six weeks he was back racing.
Keating raced at Shennington in England last month where he finished an encouraging fourth against some of Britain's top Formula A karters. This year he has a busy kart racing programme lined up at home and away, including she Karting Superprix in the UK. He has a Formula Ford test planned for May, followed by a week long course at the highly acclaimed Winfield Racing School in France, with his sights set on single seater racing in England next year.
Just as the 1996 World Championship is about to get under way with Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, comes the news that Bridgestone will supply tyres to racing teams (to be named) in Formula 1 in 1998.
This will break the monopoly held by Goodyear for several years. Racing Mercedes Benz saloons have won three German (DTM) Championships and also the 1995 International Touring Car Championship on Bridgestone tyres. Bridgestones standard for Formula 3,000 in Japan and Formula Opel in Europe, including the Irish Bridgestone Formula Opel Championship. Last year, Firestone, the wholly owned US subsidiary of Bridgestone, reentered Indycar racing after a lapse of 21 years.
Around 100 will compete in Sunday's opening round of the Irish Enduro Championship organised by the East Cork Motor Cycle Club, starting from Cahir.
The Irish Enduro series covers six rounds March 10th East Cork April 20th Foyle May 5th and June 2nd TORC June 23rd, Temple. Date and organising club for the final round have to be announced.
