Sport

Nesbitt set for Lakes

MOTOR SPORT: Circuit of Ireland winner Andrew Nesbitt and record five-times Tarmac Rally Champion Austin McHale head up the …

By Brian Foley
Fri May 03 2002 - 01:00

MOTOR SPORT: Circuit of Ireland winner Andrew Nesbitt and record five-times Tarmac Rally Champion Austin McHale head up the huge entry of over 200 crews in the weekend's Glen Eagle Rally of The Lakes out of Killarney.

Michael Keohane chases more points in the British Formula Three Championship at Silverstone, after scoring two wins at Donington Park while Michael Devaney is in action in rounds three and four of the Formula BMW Championship at Zolder in Belgium. And at Mondello Park, David Collier starts favourite in the Dunlop RT2000 Championship feature race after his dominant win in the opening round.

In the Rally of the Lakes, behind Nesbitt's Subaru Impreza WRC and McHale's Toyota Corolla WRC, six more Impreza WRC's of Derek McGarrity, Eamon Boland, Daniel Doherty, Liam O'Callaghan, Pete Doughty and Maurice Gass are split by number seven seed Peadar Hurson in a Toyota Celica. The final outcome is likely to be decided by survival rather than a race of the quickest.

Keohane is fourth on 40 points in the British Formula Three Championship, trailing his Carlin Motorsport team-mate James Courtney (Australia), who leads on 61, from Britain's Robbie Kerr (52) and Frenchman Bruce Jouanny (41).

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After a disastrous no-points start to the season, including a heavy crash at Brands Hatch, Keohane's dominant wins in rounds three and four gives the Irish driver a phsycological advantage over Courtney.

Devaney led the opening round of the Formula BMW Championship only to crash out on the ninth lap. He started round two from 26th on the grid and drove a great race to finish sixth.

Sunday's Mondello meeting features races for the Dunlop RT2000 saloons, Formula Vee, Global Lights and Strykers, Saloons and the opening round of the Formula Sheane Rover Championship in which Brian Hearty and Gerry O'Reilly are the fancied drivers.

Last Sunday's road races, which were scheduled for Athea, Co Limerick, had to be cancelled due to the atrocious weather conditions, and have been rescheduled for July 28/29th.

WEEKEND FIXTURES: Saturday - Rally of The Lakes, starts Killarney, 7 a.m.; Tanderagee 100 Road Races, Co Armagh, 11 a.m.; Motor Racing, Kirkistown, Co Down, 1.30 p.m.

Sunday - Rally of the Lakes, restarts Killarney, 7 a.m.; Motor Racing, Mondello Park.