Motor SportNewly-crowned Formula Nippon champion Richard Lyons is preparing for an assault on a second title in a fortnight with a tilt at the Japanese GT championship on November 20th.
The 24-year-old, from Hillsborough Co Down, wrapped up the prestigious Nippon title in the final round of the series at Suzuka last weekend and now will seek a Japanese double with the GT title, a series he leads with team-mate Satoshi Motoyama.
Victory at, again, Suzuka would add weight to Lyons' claim to a Formula One test drive. He has already been tipped for a test with Jordan - pending the Irish squad securing Toyota power for next season - but is also being put in the frame for a test at Renault, thanks to his relationship with Nissan in GTs, the Japanese manufacturer being a subsidiary of the French company.
Elsewhere, Austin McHale and Brian Murphy were pipped by Britain's David Higgins who beat the Irish crew by the narrow margin of just 8.7 seconds to finish second in the final round and win the British Rally Championship title by two points. None the less to finish second in the event was a notable achievement and Kildare based Brian Murphy won the co-drivers' championship. Anyone who thought that this would be McHale's swansong are way off the mark, as he has announced his intention of again contesting the British Championship in 2005.
Brendan Murphy (Mallow) won the Group N category and also took a class victory in the Welsh National Rally Championship. The 18-year-old Mallow driver has previously competed in kart racing and Formula Ireland, and is now preparing his Subaru for his next event, the Galway International rally on February 5th and 6th, 2005.
Meath driver Rory Galligan (Oldcastle) scored four wins on his way to victory in the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge 2004, which earns him a works Mitsubishi drive in next year's British Rally Championship. His co-driver in the UK series was Jonty Bolsover. They won the coveted Mitsubishi prize by a single point from Paul Wedgbury - 65 points to 64.
Dermot Carnegie leads John McCluskey by two points going into Sunday's Round Five and penultimate round of the Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park. McCluskey won the first round earlier in the year. Carnegie then took the honours in Rounds Two and Three. George Tracey won Round Four and also powered his Metro 6R4 to victory in last Sunday's rallysprint at the Co Kildare venue.
All three will be in action as well as Helmut Holfeld, Chris Grimes, Dan Donoghue and Willie Coyne. Grimes (thid overall) battles with Coyne for the modified class. George Tohill and son Derek chase class wins.
James O'Sullivan and Willie Fannin are separated by a single point in the battle for The Top Part West Coast championship which will be decided in Sunday's Kerry Stage event. Local crews John Kearney/Dennis O'Connell, Pat Barry/Stephen O'Connell and Mike Quinn/Sean Enright in Ford Escorts are expected to be the front runners for the Donal O'Flaherty Cup, commemorating the Kerry Motor Club member who tragically died last August.
WEEKEND FIXTURES: Saturday: Co Donegal MC, Navigation Trial, starts Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal, 9.01 p.m. Sunday: Kerry MC, Stage Rally, Banna Beach Hotel, nr Tralee, 11.00 a.m.; Co Kildare MC, Rallycross, Mondello Park, 12.00 p.m.; Carrick-On-Suir MC, Speed Sprint, The Pine Rock, Co Kilkenny (near new Ross).
