MOTOR SPORT: Charlie Donnelly and Patrick Elliott are divided by six points in their bid for the Dunlop National Rally Championship which could be decided in Sunday's penultimate round, the Clare Stages Rally.

Donnelly, on 134 points, has four wins and three second-placed finishes to his credit, and only one non-finish. Elliott has amassed 128 points with two wins, four second places and a third. His championship chances suffered a cruel blow in the recent Galway round when his Subaru WRC stopped on the first stage as a result of a battery wire coming adrift.

If Donnelly wins in Clare he will receive the Cecil Vard Trophy, which was won by his brother Eugene Donnelly in 2002. In order to keep his chances alive Elliott must finish in the top three and in front of Donnelly. Third-placed Aaron MacHale cannot win the championship but he could play a deciding role if he splits Donnelly and Elliott.

Adrian McElvaney, Pat Donegan, Tom Holton, James Cullen, Mark Courtney and Stuart Darcy top the 165-strong entry for Sunday's North-East stages run out of Carrickmacross. The stages are located around Kingscourt.

The venue for round three of the Hewison Trophy Championship on Sunday is Togher industrial estate near Newbridge. JJ Farrell leads the autotest series on 50 points from Eddie Peterson, who is on 48.

A racing event returns to Wicklow for the first time in many years, with the MEC's two-day sprint meeting at the Cullenmore Bends on the old main road near Ashford.

WEEKEND FIXTURES: Saturday - MEC, Sprint, Cullenmore Bends, Ashford, Co Wicklow, 11am. Sunday - Clare MC, Stages Rally, starts Ennis, Co Clare, 8.45am; North-East MC, Stages Rally, starts Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, 10am; Co Kildare MC, Autotest, Tougher Industrial Estate, Newbridge, Co Kildare, 11am; MEC, Sprint, Cullenmore Bends, Ashford, Co Wicklow, 11am; SKC, Kart Racing, Tynagh, Co Galway, 11am.