The unprecedented popularity of rallying is highlighted by a maximum entry of 130, plus 100 reserves, for Sunday's single stage event run by the North-East Motorsports Club. None of the top drivers from the Toshiba Tarmac Championship and the Dunlop National series are competing, but none the less there should be hot competition between Trevor Lanchashire, Tom Holton, Martin Taggart, Mervyn Wedlock, Noel Conaty and Gerry Smith.
The entry includes no less that 30 beginners. Run out of Carrickmacross, with Rally HQ at the Oasis Hotel, the stage is at Tallanstown, near Ardee, Co Louth. Rallycross is listed at Mondello Park on Sunday, where Laurence Gibson, Dermot Carnegie, John Moloney and Helmut Holfeld are expected to meet in the supercar final. Carnegie may be a non-started as his Ford Focus was in England in mid-week.
Most of the leading autocross drivers are entered for Sunday's `loose surface' event run by the Birr & District Auto Club at Ballinakill, Monegal, Co Offaly. The MEC has cancelled the Circuit of Wicklow scheduled for September 30th and then moved to November 12th. A new event, the Wexford Forestry Rally will be run by the Garda Siochana Motor Club near Courtown Harbour on December 10th, which will be a round of the National Forestry Rally Championship. The mud pluggers compete in tomorrow's MEC Noonan Cup Sporting Trial, at Glending near Blessington, Co Wicklow.
The prestigious Dunlop `Night of Championships' function takes place on Saturday (7.0 p.m.) in Dublin's Berkeley Court Hotel, brought forward by Motorsport Ireland from the traditional January date. Awards will be presented for all the major Dunlop, Ford Ireland and Yokohama Championships, the Dunlop Hillclimb Championship and the premier prize - the Dunlop Driver of The Year Award - for the much coveted Walter Sexton Memorial Trophy. The `Sexton' was first awarded in 1948, and won by the late Dudley Colley. The list of winners includes Joe Kelly, Joe Flynn, Dan McAlister and Michael Ivis, Fionn Murray and Neil Shanahan, all sadly no longer with us. Veterans Pierce Cahill and Irwin Catherwood, winners in 1950 and 1951, are still active in the sport, particularly Catherwood. Other notable winners are Dickie Odlum, Frank Keane, Robin Rennicks, Billy Bradshaw, Richie Heeley and John Keaney, the latter still racing. Derek Shortall is the only four times winner and Frank O'Rourke the only one to win it three years in-a-row.
Leslie Wright was the winner in 1985, and his son David in 1990, the only two Northern Ireland drivers to win the Sexton Trophy. It also went to another father and son winners, Ken Fildes in 1974 and Jonathan Fildes in 1999.
The six nominated drivers for this year's award, all Dunlop Driver of The Month winners are: Robbie Bolger, Steven Kane, Eric Holstein, Paul Dagg, Eoin Murray and Keith Dempsey. Dempsey and Murray, both only 17-years-old showed considerable talent and maturity this year to match their speed, and are the considered `joint favourites' in the guessing game.
