The RIAC/Red Mills National Rally Championship moves to Cavan on Sunday for Round Five and Monaghan's Niall Maguire is strongly fancied to score his third win of the series.
The Cavan entry includes all the main championship challengers, as well as Michael Barrable, Daniel Doherty and John McCluskey who are anxious to score point with Dublin driver McCluskey expected to improve on his sixth place (on 28 points).
Donegal drivers James Cullen and Paul Harris are using the Cavan event as a shakedown for the Donegal International in June, and will no doubt set a blistering pace on the stages. Amazingly the Co Cavan Motor Club received 260 entries, double the mandatory limit of 130.
The rally starts from the Hotel Kilmore and will cover 3x3 stages at Derrylane, Ardlougher and Inishmore, with service at the Cavan Equestrian Centre.
Alan Ring from Castleisland, Co Kerry has a long drive this weekend to Kirkistown for Saturday's Northern Ireland Formula Ford Festival. Ring leads the Ford of Ireland Championship after four rounds from Paul Dagg (Drogheda) on 149 and 136 points, respectively; followed by George McAlpin (Portrush) 133; John O'Hara (Donadea) 121; Robert Coleman (Cork) 92 and Richard Ryans (Tandragee) 90.
In addition to races for Formula Ford Zetec and 1600, and Formula Vee, former Formula Three driver will do demonstration laps in a March-Ford and 701 raced in 1970 by the famous Jackie Stewart.
The death took place recently of Manliff Barrington (Dublin) who was one of the most successful Irish motorcycle racers of the 1930s and the early post-war years. He made his Isle of Man racing debut in 1935, at the age of 22, retiring in the Lightweight and Junior races, but finishing a very creditable 11th in the Senior TT on a Vincent-HRD. He averaged 73.22 m.p.h. to win the Lightweight TT in 1947, beating fellow Moto Guzzi rider Maurice Cann. He won this race again in 1949, averaging 77.96 m.p.h. to beat another Moto Guzzi rider Tommy Wood.
He later rode Nortons for top British tuner Francis Bert, finishing fifth in the 1951 Senior TT and winning the "Motor Cycle" Trophy for the best placed foreign rider. His TT career ended with a high speed crash during practice for the 1952 races, in which he suffered serious leg and other injuries.
