Sport

Nesbitt out to wrap up a second championship title

MOTOR SPORT: Armagh rally and racing drivers Andrew Nesbitt and Joey Freeburn are poised to score more championship glory for…

By Brian Foley
Fri Oct 04 2002 - 01:00

MOTOR SPORT: Armagh rally and racing drivers Andrew Nesbitt and Joey Freeburn are poised to score more championship glory for the Orchard County at events in Cork and Kildare this weekend.

Nesbitt is undoubtedly the rally driver of the year, having won the Circuit of Ireland, Killarney Rally of The Lakes, Scottish and Ulster rallies, and he finished second in the Manx. He now only needs a single point to win the Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Rally Championship for the second time, which he previously won in 2000.

Only Eamonn Boland can stop the meteoric Nesbitt from winning the championship, but the Wexford driver must win the two final rounds to achieve what is virtually an impossible goal.

The two final races of the Fiat Abarth Cup take place at Mondello Park on Sunday in the last race meeting of the season, and with 34 points to be won the championship is pretty open. Joey Freeburn leads on 54 points from Richie Faulkner (43).

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Nesbitt and Boland in Subaru Impreza WRCs are the top seeds in the Murphy Construction Cork "20" Rally, followed by Austin McHale in a Toyota Corolla WRC, Peadar Hurson (Celica GT4) and Michael Barrable and Welshman Mel Evans in two more Imprezas.

McHale has had a pretty dismal season, but the five-time Irish champion is quietly confident that his totally rebuilt Corolla WRC will enable him to seriously challenge for a fifth victory on the Cork classic.

The Rochestown Park Hotel is Rally HQ for the Cork event, which starts tomorrow morning from the County Hall and will cover 4x2 stages around Macroom. Sunday's 3x3 stages in East Cork are at Inch, Killeagh and Clonmult, servicing near Youghal.

TOMORROW: Munster MC & CC, Cork 20 Rally, starts County Hall, Cork, 9.0; Leinster MC, GVB Cup Sporting Trial, Tiglin, Newcastle, Wicklow, 12.30; Monaghan MC, Navigation Trial, starts Community Centre, Carrickroe, 9.0pm.

SUNDAY: Cork 20 rally, Showgrounds, Cork, 10.0; Connacht MC, Autocross, Harrington's Quarry, Ballisodare, Sligo, 10.0; IMRC, Motor Racing, Mondello Park, 1.45; ALMC, Autocross, Murphy's Quarry, Gormanstown, Dublin, 12.0; MRCCI, Midget Car Racing, Clonbullouge, Wicklow, 2.0; Kerry MC, Autotest, Greyhound Stadium, Tralee, Kerry, 2.0.