Five times Tarmac Champion Austin MacHale, driving his new Pirelli backed Subaru WRC, will lead a star studded field away on this 2003 Circuit of Ireland. Behind Austin’s new Impreza is a variety of Subaru World Rally Cars, possibly one of the most exclusive collections on any rally outside the World Championship itself. Indeed Eugene Donnelly, winner of the last Tarmac Championship Rally, the Galway West, in the same Envirocare backed ‘98/99 Impreza as he will drive this weekend, surveyed the cars as they lined up for scrutineering at the sunshine bathed St Angelo yesterday and commented. "Looking at the cars around me I am a bit demoralised. I’ll be happy to finish near my start number (4) on Monday afternoon" Austin MacHale, a recent convert from Corolla WRC to Subaru, said, "The car should be good, more responsive, and I feel comfortable with it. We did Kerry Rally as a warm up (Austin won) and it went well. I think this Circuit will be a good event. The stages are quick in areas on Saturday, but a fine mixture."

Austin’s co-driver Brian Murphy observed, "What a change in the Circuit over the past couple of years. So far the organisers, the Ulster Automobile Club, are showing best practice of any rally in Ireland."

Last year’s Circuit winner and current Tarmac Champion Andrew Nesbitt is slotted in at No 7, following a last gasp effort to get a deal together. Andrew has opted for Kenny McKinstry’s West Cork winning Subaru. The deal was only concluded late on Monday and Kenny’s Banbridge workshop has been flat out all week readying the car. The Impreza is a P2000, an S6, last of the two door models. Austin’s is an S7, a four door, with faster gearchange – still a floor mounted sequential assisted stick. Derek McGarrity and Eamonn Boland drive S8’s, with even faster paddle operated gear changing. Andrew commented, "I’m very happy with Kenny’s car, and to be seeded at 7. In fact I’m happy to just be supporting the rally here in Enniskillen, not forgetting a lot of this is down to the late Bertie Fisher for bringing it here in the first place. OK, so my car is two generations different, but they still have to be driven. Looking at the new technology cars, I think its great for Irish rallying that the drivers are moving ahead."

The above is just a tiny insight into the thoughts of a couple of the top drivers. There are so many angles to this rally. Apart from the race for the overall honours, the battle for GpN looks momentous. Just consider some of the drivers – Seamus Leonard, Roy White, Dickie Curran, Aaron McHale, Andrew Stewart, Raymond Johnston (on his home patch), The category should be ultra competitive and some of the GpN cars will surely be in the top 10 overall before the finish of the 23 special stages.

One particular dark horse who will be watched with interest is young Shaun Gallagher – this may be his first time in GpN, but this is one quick guy. Previous Circuit winner, and indeed one of Ireland’s most successful co-drivers, Rory Kennedy, sits in this time and says of the 22 year old Letterkenny man, "Very very impressive attitude, real talent." Another young tiger well worth a-watching this weekend will be Garry Jennings in the ex-works Peugeot 106 Maxi. Garry has new backing from Agip as well as Fisher Engineering and is determined to put up a big show on his home Fermanagh roads.

Further stories include Daniel and Michael Doherty non-starting, while Derek McGarrity has Chris Patterson co-driving as a last minute substitute for Dermot O’Gorman, who has decided to withdraw because of a family illness. Chris is a bit jet lagged having just got home from the Rally New Zealand, but should be OK. Maurice Gass has had some further problem with the dash computer read-out in his Millview Fuels Impreza, and has his fingers crossed it will be OK. The engineers hopefully now have it fixed this morning. Willie John Dolan is another last minute entry, his GpN Impreza running with 118 on the car but 36^th on the road. Finally for now, it looks like being a bumper day at St Angelo, let alone the rest of the Circuit. The Enniskillen Motor Club has put a terrific amount of work into the rally, helping the UAC, and are collecting for the Marie Curie Fund. It would be good to show appreciation. More RallyNews from service. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON