Motorsport Weekend previewGeorge Tracey has invited his ace Belgian rally friend Freddy Loix to double-drive his Peugeot 206WRC in the Mondello Rallysprint on December 27th.
Niall Maguire, Kevin Barrett and last year's winner, Kenny McKinstry, will no doubt set a blistering pace in a trio of Subaru Impreza WRCs.
Owen Murphy (the Billy Coleman Award winner) and Keith Cronin (the runner-up) head the 80-strong entry for the Cork MC's autocross at The Pike, Dungarvan, also on the 27th.
On an exceptionally busy day, next Wednesday also sees the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland hold a meeting at Kirkistown, Co Down, where six races will be run for Formula Ford/Formula Vee, Formula Libre/sports cars and saloons.
Hankook Tyres are the new title sponsors of the Motorsport Ireland National Forest Championship 2007. In making the welcome pre-Christmas announcement, championship chairman Willie Walsh said: "We are very pleased to have a new sponsor in place and look forward to working with Hankook Tyres in keeping the Forest Championship at the forefront of Irish rallying."
Niall Murray of Hankook Tyres emphasised the importance of the series: "We are delighted to come on board as title sponsor. We are excited about 2007 and have some new ideas to raise the championship profile. We appreciate that clubmen are the backbone of rallying so we have a large quantity of newly developed 13-inch tyres ready for the coming season."
All seven championship rounds will count for points scoring, ie, no dropped scores.
We regret to report the death recently of Ellen Morgan (62). Co-driving with James Cullen (Letterkenny), she twice won the Donegal International and was twice winner of Group N in the Tarmac Championship.
She died in England of cancer, which was a shock to the rally fraternity as, typical of Ellen, she had bravely battled against her illness and kept it secret from all but her closest friends.
Also, John Tansey, the well known autocross driver in the 1960s and designer of the revolutionary DKW Special, died recently.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY FIXTURES
ST STEPHEN'S DAY: TDC, Autotest, Dillonsdown, Blessington, Co Wicklow, 10am; Munster MC & CC, Autocross, Ballinacurra, Midleton, Co Cork, 11am; Dublin & District MCC, Fancy Dress & Motorcycle Trial, The Slade, Crooksling, Co Dublin, noon.
WEDNESDAY: Carlow CC, Rallysprint, Mondello Park, 10am; Co Cavan MC, Autocross, Latton, Cootehill, 10.30am; Cork MC, Autocross, The Pike, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, 11am; Leinster MC, Sporting Trial, Kilruddery, Bray, Co Wicklow, 11.30am; 500 MRCI, Motor Racing, Kirkistown, Co Down.
