LE MANS: The Dublin trio of David Dunn, Tony Colley and David Miller are joined by English driver Sam Stretton for this weekend's Le Mans 24-Hours Classic in France. They will share the driving of Dunn's 4.5 litre Bentley, a works car driven into seventh place in the 1929 Irish Grand Prix at Phoenix Park by WB Scott. They are supported by Bord Fáilte. Rosemary Smith is also racing a Sunbeam Tiger at Le Mans.
The prospect of a titanic battle between Niall Maguire and Michael Barrable will bring out the spectators in force at Sunday's Clare Stages Rally, the penultimate round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.
Maguire won the championship in 1999 and the Monaghan man has now won his second title with six wins out of eight events at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRC. After a poor start to the season, Dublin driver Barrable recaptured his form in a big way with wins in the Tipperary event and the non-championship Galway Summer Rally, also driving a Subaru.
Patrick Elliott, in another Subaru, should have the pace to beat Ford Escort Cosworth drivers David Armstrong and Seán Gallagher and secure second in the championship.
Five more Subaru drivers, Tim McNulty, JJ Fleming, Hugh Dunne, Anthony O'Halloran and Ed Synan will also be worth watching, as will Denis Cronin in his BMW M3, Liam McCarthy in a Toyota Corolla WRC and Tom Randles in an Escort Cosworth. London-based Limerick driver Ollie O'Donovan hopes to break the winning Subaru monopoly with his Hyundai Accent WRC.
Points standings after round eight of the National Rally championship; 1 Maguire 152 (o/a winner) ; 2 Elliott 102; 3 Armstrong 88; 4 Gallagher 78; 5 Barrable & Aaron McHale 58; 7 MacMcKenna 52; James McCann 50.
In the Ford Focus Championship the scoreboard after two rounds reads: 1 Oliver Stanley 56; 2 Hamilton Bell 40; 3 Cathal O'Reilly 30; 4 Colm Murphy 26; 5 Brendan Kelly 23; 6 John Foley 21.
The Clare event is sponsored by Lynch Hotels and runs out of Ennis under clerk-of-the-course Dermot Kelleher, who has plotted 3x3 testing stages at Maurice's Mills, Ruane and O'Brien Castle. Central service is at Gort Road industrial estate, Ennis.
Michael Keohane races in the two final rounds of the British Formula 3 Championship at Donington Park, where he was victorious earlier in the year.
Ulsterman Adam Carroll has convincingly won the Scholarship Class of the championship.
Hilton Hincks from Tramore, Co Waterford is the fancied rider in the feature Sunflower Trophy race tomorrow at the revamped Bishopscourt Circuit, near Downpatrick. Adrian Archibald, John Donnan and Richard Britton are listed in the capacity entry for this motorcycle race meeting, which always attracts huge crowds.
WEEKEND FIXTURES: Saturday - Killarney & District MC, Hillclimb, Lyre, Banteer, Co Cork, 10.00 a.m.; Sunflower Trophy, Motorcycle Races, Bishopscourt, Co Down, 12.00 p.m.; MEC, Rhodes Cup Sporting Trial, Glenealy, Co Wicklow, 12.00pm; TDC, Irish Classic Retro Trial, starts Bray, Co Wicklow, 12.00 p.m.
Sunday - Killarney & District MC, Hillclimb, Lyre, Banteer, Co Cork, 10.00 a.m.; West Cork MCC, Motorcycle Hillclimb, Robert's Cove, Co Cork, 10.00 a.m.; Tipperary LC & MCC, Autocross, Tipperary Raceway, Rosegreen, Cashel, 11.00 a.m.; Clare MC, Clare Stages Rally, starts West County Hotel, Ennis, 11.15am; SKC, Kart Racing, Tynagh, Portumna, Co Galway, 12.00pm.
