CHAMPIONSHIP motor racing and rallying are the main motorsport fare for the Bank Holiday Sunday. Leinster Motor Club's Mondello meeting features rounds of all the championship-classes, headed by Formula Opel, Formula Ford Zetec and Touring Cars. The Limerick Motor Club's Circuit of Limerick is round six of the RIAC/Coras Vard National Rally Championship, run out of Adare.
The Isle of Man TT races get under way tomorrow, and will also be run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of next week.
Sceptics who were quick to write off Formula Opel this year might like to know that racing in the DHL Championship is very close and exciting, even if the grids are a bit on the thin side.
Vivion Daly leads the championship on 63 points and following his recent Mondello win, Ken Grandon is second on 55 points, ahead of Donal Loughrey 52, Mark Kershaw 30, Jonathan Fildes 27 and Adrian Pollock 25.
Racing in the Ford of Ireland Formula Ford Zetec Championship is living up to all the pre-season expectations of this new class, with several young drivers emerging. For all that, veteran George McAlpin leads the championship by three points from Noel Dunne (Naas), 42 and 39 points, respectively. Jeff Wright is third on 31.
After Sunday's round five, the championship leader wins a trip to the British Grand Prix as guest of Ford Motorsport, with an intro to the Stewart-Ford Formula One Team.
For the first time this year, reigning Dunlop Touring Car Champion Michael Cullen has taken the series lead. The Opel Astra driver won at the RAC Super Prix Mondello meeting, his first of the season, to lead the championship on 80 points from Renault Clio driver Ed O'Connor on 70.
With four wins out of four races, Liam Denning leads the Dunlop Fiat Uno Cup on a maximum score of 48 points, followed by Gilbert McFarland, 34 and Sean Woods, 32.
Tomorrow's Kirkistown race meeting features a Formula Vee race with a grid of 20 cars. There are supporting races for Formula Ford 1600, pre-1985 Formula Ford 1600, Metros and Roadsports.
Tommy Reid of Tanderagee Armagh leads the Northern Ireland Formula Ford Championship by eight points.
Belfast dentist John Gilleece will miss Sunday's Circuit of Munster, but with a lead of 38 points over the second-placed Charlie Donnelly - 96 points to 58 - he can afford to miss round six of the RIAC/Coras National Rally Championship.
Donnelly should improve, but he has to watch for David Armstrong on 53 points in third position overall. Wexford's Eamonn Boland is giving his WRC Ford Escort a run in preparation for the Donegal International on June 13-15th.
The 3x3 stages are: Sugar Hill, Kilcoman and Bottle Hill; service in Rathkeale after stages three and six. The first car is not due at the Adare finish until around 7.00 pm
