In making predictions for 1999 it would be a "safe bet" to go for Eamonn Byrne as odds-on favourite for RIAC Hewison Trophy honours. The Delgany driver has won all nine rounds of the 15-round autotest championship and leads JJ Farrell by 12 points as he heads for his seventh Hewison success.

In the points standings before Sunday's Midland MC event at Athlone, Byrne has 225 points, followed by Farrell with 213 and Dermot Carnegie on 202.

After the Athlone event, the final four rounds are: January 16th - Tipperary; January 17th - Carrick-on-Suir; January 31st - Monaghan; February 21st - MEC Freeman Cup Trial (Dublin area based). The TDC International Autotest is scheduled for March 20th.

The Tipperary Rally on January 31st is the penultimate round of the RIAC National Forest Rally Championship, with the final round being the Carrick-on-Suir MC's Willie Loughman event on February 21st. Dermot Kelly leads Noel Driver by six points (43 to 37).

The Royal Irish Automobile Club, the governing body of motorsport in the Republic of Ireland, issued 3,240 competition licences in 1998, of which 799 were first-time licences. In the last nine years there has been a steady increase in the number of licences issued, from 1,849 in 1990.

According to information on application forms, stage rallying is the most popular, a long way ahead of racing, 1,784 to 328. Karting comes next (301), ahead of navigation rallies (252).

At yesterday's opening of the International Motorsport Show at the NEC in Birmingham, it was announced that 19-year-old Dublin driver Neil Shanahan will race a works Van Diemen in this year's British and European Formula Ford Zetec Championship, and in the end of season world finals at Brands Hatch. His first races will be on April 4/5th, but he will have completed extensive testing prior to the Easter start of the season.

The Motorcycle Union of Ireland will run the FIM Rally in the year 2001.