Motor sport: Irish driver Niall McShea, at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza, has won the Production World Rally Championship following his second place in the Group N class of the final round, the Telstra Rally Australia which finished in Perth last Sunday.
McShea also won the star of the rally award. Alister McRae led for most of the three-day rally but with four stages to run he retired with mechanical trouble, leaving McShea to take the class runner-up position behind Japan's Toshio Arai, which gave him enough points to win the championship. He finished ninth overall in the Australian final round of the World Championship.
Last April the Monaghan crew of Niall Maguire and Paul McLaughlin travelled to Kerry to score maximum points in the first round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship. The triumphant rally kings return to Kerry for tomorrow night's Motorsport Ireland prize giving in the Brandon Hotel, Tralee. Maguire will receive the Cecil Vard Memorial Trophy for a record third time, and McLaughlin wins the co-drivers' top award.
After a dream start with three maximum scores it turned out to be a tough campaign for Maguire and McLaughlin. They crashed out of two consecutive rallies but settled for a safe fifth in the final round which gave them the championship by six points from English challengers James Harrison and Harvey Bell, 69 points to 63.
After the first five rounds of the Hewison Trophy Autotest series Eamonn Byrne on 119 points leads Christopher Evans by four points The top 10 are: 1st Eamonn Byrne 119 points; 2nd Christopher Evans 115; 3rd Chris Grimes 105; 4th Paddy power 102; 5th Eddie Peterson 100; 6th Paul Phelan 94; 7th Sam Johnston 92; 8th Liam Cashman 86; 9th Michael Cashman 72; 10th Simon Echlin 71. In the Europa Cup for novices, the top three are: 1st Mark Doran 12; 2nd Liam Croston 11; 3rd Gerry Lynch 10.
Sunday's round six is the Howard Wilde Memorial Trophy event run by the Trials Drivers Club at Mondello Park. The Hewison Trophy Championship consists of 16 rounds, best 12 will count for the championship (10 for novices).
DUNLOP NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP: 1, Niall Maguire (Subaru) 69 points; 2, James Harrison (Subaru) 63; 3, Patrick Elliott (Subaru) 59; 4, Cathal Arthurs (Hyundai) 44; 5, Kevin Barrett (Subaru) 32; 6, Kevin Lynch (Subaru) 29. Co-drivers (overall): 1, Paul McLaughlin 70 points; 2, Harvey Bell 66; 3, David Moynihan 61.
Class winners, Drivers: Peter Wilson; Thomas O'Rourke; Willie Fannin; Andrew Mullen, Paul Elliott, John Paul Ruth, Niall Maguire. Co-Drivers: Chris Farrelly; John McGrath, Mark Kane, Elaine Doherty, Kevin O'Connor, Brian Maher, Paul Mc Laughlin.
WEEKEND FIXTURES: Tomorrow: LMC, Sporting Trial, Crosschapel, Blessington, Co Wicklow, 11.30 a.m.; Co Monaghan MC, Navigation Trial, starts Rally School Ireland, Scotstown, Co Monaghan, 9.01 pm. Sunday: Cork MC, 4x4 Trial, Ballyregan, Dunderon, Kinsale, Co Cork, 11 a.m.; TDC, Hewison Trophy Autotest, Mondello Park, 11.30 p.m.
