CHAMPIONSHIP rounds of various RIAC (National) series are back on stream beginning with tomorrow night's Co Kildare MC, Heartbreak Rally, which starts at the Cullenmore Hotel, Ashford, Co Wicklow, at midnight. This fourth round of the National Rally Navigation Championship wilt cover 150 miles on Ordnance Survey sheets 16 and 19.
After three pre Christmas rounds, the scoreboard reads 1, T Farrell and H Bleakley 40 pts 2, B Wedlock and P Hughes 31 3, M O'Connor and P Phelan 29.
There is no championship in sporting trials, but if the championship did exist, undoubtedly it would be between the Erskine twins, Philip and Gordon, who double drive their Harley Davidson Special to win after win. Tomorrow's mud plug will be at Red Bog, Blessington. Can the Erskines do it again? Looks that way for `96.
The weekend of January 13th 14th will see two Hewison Trophy auto tests run by the Carrick on Suir MC and Tipperary LC and MCC, both in Waterford City J J Farrell is the Hewison leader but Eamonn Byrne is most likely to take over the lead as he chases a fourth Hewison title.
Rally drivers take to the forests in the Tipperary Club's round three of the four round National Forest Stages Rally Championship on January 21st.
Placings in the forest series are Drivers Roy Haslett 26 pts Dominic McNeill 20, 3 John O'Connor 19 4, John Coyne 17 5, Andrew Mackarel 17 6, Charlie Donnelly 15. Navigators 1, Mike Gaston 26 2, Vincent Fergus 20 3, E O'Callaghan 19 4, Gerry. Joyce 18 5, Barry McArdee 18 6, Eugene Donnelly I 5.
Ireland has a long tradition in motor sport, dating back to the famous Gordon Bennett road race (of 1903, the Irish Grand Prix at Phoenix Park (1929-31), the Ulster Tourist Trophy at Ards in the 30s and at Dundrod in the 50s also the Cork Grand Prix, Limerick and Bray races before the war.
There were also races at Ballyjamesduff, Dun Laoghaire and Dundalk, but these round the houses races failed to survive. However, the road racing tradition for cars is maintained in the Phoenix Park. To a large extent, special stage rallying has taken over from motor racing over closed road circuits, but motorcycle road racing continues to attract the riders and the crowds in large numbers both north and south of the Border.
The first motor race of any kind, on two wheels or four to take place in the British Isles after the second World War was a motorcycle race meeting held over roads in the grounds of Bangor Castle on July 14th, 1945. A crowd of 20,000 turned out to watch the three race programme, each race over 20 laps of a 1,025 miles circuit.
The winner of the first race was Syd Brand an RAF man from London, who averaged 43.62 mph on a Triumph Twin. Cromie McCandless of Belfast won the semi experts race on a Triumph Special. The experts race saw Ernie Lyons of Kildare pitched against the powerful Ulster trio of, Artie Bell on a Norton, Terry Hill on a BSA and Rex McCandless on a Triumph. Lyons led for eight laps until he was passed by Hill. But Lyons was back in the lead two laps later, Hill retired his BSA with clutch trouble and Lyons went on to win on a Triumph at 48.24 mph. Bill Nicholson was second on a 350 BSA and slow starting McCandless was third, setting the fastest lap at 50.55 mph.
It all happened 50 years ago, and only for Dublin enthusiast Harry Havelin recording this historical meeting in Auto Ireland magazine (January `96) this very special Golden Jubilee would have passed unnoticed.
French Formula One team Ligier are sacking a third of its 110 workforce after losing two of its biggest sponsors, oil giant Elf and the French lottery company. Ligier said 37 jobs would go, after revenues were more than halved by the two defections. But the team insisted it will be racing this year.
