BERTIE FISHER starts the week-end's International Rally of the Lakes in Killarney as favourite not only to win round three of the Tarmac Championship, but to increase his record of wins on this event to seven.
The Ballinamallard, Co Fermanagh, driver first won "The Lakes" in 1990, and then made it five in a row. He missed the 1995 event but won again last year.
The combination of Fisher and his co-driver Rory Kennedy of Letterkenny dominated the Circuit of Ireland, and their Subaru Impreza 555 is unquestionably the best car in Irish rallying. Austin McHale (Dublin) and Liam O'Callaghan (Kanturk) in Toyota Celica GT4s will push hard, but neither are likely to beat a very much in form Fisher on his favourite rally over the most challenging stages in the Kerry-Cork mountains.
A quartet of Ford Escort RS Cosworths will be driven by Stephen Murphy (Carlow), Eamonn Boland (Wexford), British champion Pete Doughty and Peadar Hurson (Warrenpoint), with Murphy and Boland resuming their Galway and Circuit rivalry. Donegal's Paul Harris is a Subaru Legacy and local man Denis Cronin in a BMW M3 will be pushing hard for a high place finish. Kenny McKinstry in a Porsche 911 is a dark horse against the current Group 4 cars.
Killarney motor trader Johnny O'Sullivan in a Ford Sierra Cosworth is looking to improve on his fourth place in last year's Cork 20. John Hickey of Headford and Millstreet rally car preparation expert John Moynihan finished second back in 1985, and are again entered. In addition to over 100 cars in the main rally, 24 crews will compete in the historic section, including twice Circuit of Ireland winner (1960 and 1971) Adrian Boyd in a Porsche 911.
McHale, on 35 points, leads Boland (21), Fisher (20) and Murphy (20) in the Tarmac Championship.
The Rally of the Lakes has been based in the Gleneagle Hotel since 1980, and as part of the hotel's 40th anniversary, the 19th running of this event is under its banner. The start tomorrow and on Sunday, plus Sunday afternoon's finish, will be from the hotel on Killarney's Muckross Road.
There will be 10 stages tomorow in the Rathmore-Millstreet area, starting with the famous Molls Gap and including stages at Fuhiry, Mullaghanish, Gortnagane and Caherbearnagh. The Sunday run also starts with the Molls Gap stage, following on to Ballaghbeama, Caragh Lake, Rockfield and Dunloe. Service tomorrow will be in Millstreet and Glenflesk, and on Sunday near Killorgan.
Monday's Mondello meeting features rounds of Formula Ford Zetec, Formula Vee and Dunlop Fiat Uno Championships, and Club Historics.
Twenty-year-old Dublin student Ray Wallace is contesting this year's British Formula Ford Zetec Championship in the Castlethorn Van Diemen RF97 and after two rounds he is second in Division One, just a point behind leader Owen Mildenhall. He races this weekend at Thruxton in Hampshire.
