Motor Sport ColumnRay Breen beat Denis Cronin in a dramatic finish to last year's Fastnet Rally run out of Skibbereen. On Sunday they face powerful competition from Patrick Elliott, Gareth Jones, Aaron MacHale, Michael Barrable, Martin Doherty and Melvyn Evans.
The Dunlop National Rally Championship has been won by Charlie Donnelly, who is not contesting this final round. He won three rounds in Sligo, Tipperary and Clare and was third in the Fastnet last year. MacHale finished third in the championship and is still chasing that elusive first major rally win.
Ray Breen won the 2005 Dunlop series and after a difficult season would like to go out on a high with a second successive Fastnet win.
Dublin drivers Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin race in the Ferrari World Finals at Monza. Cullen won the Ferrari Modena Challenge last year, beating the professional drivers led by Frenchman Ange Barde.
This year Barde has won the European title with Cullen currently second and facing tough competition in the final round.
In addition to his Ferrari challenge, Cullen will demonstrate a Formula One Ferrari on Sunday afternoon, taking to the track with the great Michael Schumacher on his final Ferrari fling in front of a massive and passionate Italian crowd.
Irish drivers Christopher Evans, Dermot Carnegie, John McCluskey, George Tracey and event sponsor Ollie O'Donovan take on 13-times European Champion Kenneth Hansen (Sweden), Polish champion Jacek Ptaszek and all the leading British drivers in Sunday's Shannon Holdings Rallycross Superprix at Croft in North Yorkshire.
Irish drivers continue winning races and championships against fierce competition in the UK.
Last weekend, Noel Dunne, Morgan Dempsey and Michael Edgar scored an impressive Irish 1-2-3 in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands hatch.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Tomorrow: Galway MC, Hewison Autotest, Galway-Mayo IT, Renmore, Galway, 12pm.
Sunday: Connacht MC, hewison Autotest, Grange, Co.Sligo, 12pm; Castle AC, Autocross, Kilnaleck, Co.Cavan, 10.30am
