With the FIC office manager, Tony Allen, out of action following a back operation, the compilation of the fixtures list for the new season is behind schedule. But Dermot Dignam has taken over the task and he expects to have it completed next week.

The season opens with the Beechmount Cup race at Navan on Sunday, March 1st, while St Finbarr's also promote the Ken O'Keeffe memorial that day in Cork. The Leinster league will get under way the following Saturday with the first event on the circuit behind Dublin Airport, and the annual Bangor handicap race will be at Annaclone.

This weekend Dignam goes with Jack Watson to represent the FIC at the European Congress at Middlefart in Denmark. "Some applications for races were slow coming in and there are a lot of blanks to be filled in and clashes sorted out," Dignam said yesterday, "but we will be working on it next week and it should all be finalised then."

The Leinster Council chairman, Richie Beatty, is operating in the FIC headquarters with Dignam and they have to liaise with the other provincial council representatives.

While the list of events for the rest of March is still not sorted out, the Easter programme will, as usual, be headed by the three-day race from Tallaght to Gorey.