Austin McHale and Brian Murphy lead the Pirelli British Rally Championship going in tomorrow's final round, the South of England Tempest Rally, but the Irish crew, on 103 points, could be pipped for the title by the leading British challengers David Higgins and Daniel Barritt on 89 points.
Straight-talking McHale is making no predictions, except for a pre-rally "we'll give it a go" comment. He must finish in front of Higgins but his main concern is car reliability. In the penultimate round, the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire, Higgins crashed his Hyundai WRC.
A bag containing a mixture of grease and oil, thrown by a spectator, exploded on the windscreen of McHale's Ford Focus WRC as he was travelling at a very high speed. Although the car slid off the stage, McHale recovered to finish fifth and take the championship lead. In condemning these two sinister incidents, Higgins said: "I want to go to the next rally and battle with Austin for the title, as it should be. The two of us should decide what happens in the championship, not anyone else."
McHale's rally achievements include winning the Irish Tarmac Championship four times, in 1985/86 and 1997/98, plus countless Irish events. To emulate Billy Coleman in winning the British Championship would be McHale's crowing glory in an illustrious rally career covering four decades.
Frank Fennell (Dublin) is the winner of a new FIA European Road Rally Championship, beating a trio of Dutch competitors.
He drove a Mercedes-Benz 300SE to victory on the Winter Trial to Monte Carlo and the San Remo event in May, and was fifth on the recent Marathon Rally in Norway. Fennell will be bidding for a hat-trick of wins in the UK on the 1000 Miles Rally of The Tests, starting from Torquay tomorrow and finishing on Tuesday in Chester.
Other Irish competitors in the 50-strong entry of classic cars are Tom Callanan and Ted Gaffney (Triumph TR4), Dublin husband and wife team of Richard and Jo McAllister (Volvo), Kilkenny's Michael Gabbett and Michael Jackson (Alfa Romeo), and Robin Eyre-Maunsell and Peter Scott (Sunbeam) from Northern Ireland.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: GSMC, Sporting Trial, Aughfarrell, Brittas, Co Dublin, 11.30 am; Cork MC, Navigation Trial, starts Freemount Community Hall, Freemount, Co Cork, 8.0 pm.
Sunday: Birr & District MC, Autocross, Timahoe, Co Laois, 9.30 am; Galway MC, Sprint, Pallas Karting, Tynagh, Portumna, Co Galway, 10.15 am; MEC, Rallysprint, Mondello Park, 10.30 am; Co Cavan MC, Autocross, off Ballybay-Cootehill Rd, Co Cavan, 11.0 am; Co Kildare MC/Limerick MC, 4x4 Trial, Hospital, Co Limerick, 12.0 pm.
