MOTOR SPORT: Irish drivers Charlie Donnelly (Naas) and Michael Devaney (Dublin) face major challenges in Britain on Sunday. Donnelly is the class act of this year's British Formula Ford 1,800 Championship and he can clinch the title with a fourth place or higher finish at Snetterton.
Donnelly should then be the third Irishman to win a British championship this year. Damien Faulkner (Donegal) has won the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with two races still to run. Peter Dempsey (Ashbourne) has won the Motor Sport Vision Championship in a phenomenal season in which he has scored 24 Formula Ford 1,600 race wins, his most recent at Oulton Park, Cheshire last Sunday.
Devaney debuts the AI Team Ireland car in Sunday's inaugural A1 Grand Prix of Nations at Brands Hatch. The Dublin driver has graduated from karting to Formula Ford and BMW to winning races in German Formula Three. The all new 180mph:300km/h A1 Grand Prix car is a major step up the performance scale for the talented 20-year-old Dublin driver.
After an initial run at Paul Ricard circuit in France, Devaney completed a successful test of over 100 laps at Silverstone on Monday, and is confident of putting in a good performance for Ireland against top class competition. The racing format is a short sprint race, with a rolling start, which will determine the all important grid positions for the longer Grand Prix of Nations feature race.
WEEKEND FIXTURES: Saturday: MEC, Sporting Trial, Glenealy, Co Wicklow, 12.30pm. Sunday: Carrick-on-Suir MC Rally, starts 9.0am; Kerry MC, Autotest, Tralee Racecourse, 10.30am; Co Kildare MC, 4x4 Trial, Gortdrum, Co Tipperary, 11.00am; Connacht MC, Autocross, Lurganboy, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, 1.34pm.
