Navan’s Pat Donegan won last Sunday’s North East Motorsports Club stage rally in Co. Louth, from Camillus Bradley, with Mayo event winner Gerry Smyth 3^rd, all in Escorts. Donegan won the rally on the first stage really, where he was staggeringly quick, and Bradley did well to cut the Navan man’s initial 20 second advantage to 17 after the three stages.

Garry Jennings got behind the wheel of a car again on Sunday, his first time since he dislocated his hip in a water skiing accident just two weeks ago. Although he was a bit uncomfortable, the Peugeot driver is determined to take his place in the Triton Showers Lurgan Park Rally this Saturday.

Derek McGarrity is supplying an Impreza WRC for Patrick Snijers to drive on this Saturday’s Triton Showers Lurgan Park Rally. Willie McKee will co-drive for Snijers, with backing again coming from Willie’s company BSS Computers. Maurice Gass will drive Derek’s Impreza WRC S9, while the hoped for deal for Derek himself to drive an Hyundai WRC hasn’t come off.

Oldcastle’s Breen McNamee is another Irish driver to plan an outing with his Peugeot on the September Tulip Rally in Holland. Breen, former Clerk of the Course of his home Castle Stage Rally, scheduled this year for 7^th September, will co-drive for Tim McNulty in his Impreza WRC this time. McNulty has won the rally for the last two years and is keen to go for his hat-trick.

David Armstrong will make a welcome return to the stages this weekend when he tackles the Carrickmacross based ALMC Rally. David has been out of action since crashing his ex Melvyn Evans Escort WRC on the Limerick stage event at the end of May. Michael Barrable and Tim McNulty in their Impreza WRC’s are just two of the top drivers listed in the 131 strong entry for the 9 stage event.

Approaching the Ulster Rally, Derek McGarrity heads the Tarmac Championship points from Andrew Nesbitt, with Eamonn Boland 3^rd, Eugene Donnelly and Austin McHale 4^th and 5^th. If McGarrity finishes 3^rd or better on the Ulster then he will clinch the Tarmac crown, even with one round remaining, the Cork ‘20’. Only Nesbitt, Boland and Donnelly could, mathematically, possibly win the series now.

Just a handful of points separate the top three drivers in GpN on the Tarmac Championship, with Aaron McHale (Lancer),1 point up on Seamus Leonard (Subaru), and Roy White (Lancer) a further 6 back following his early Manx retirement. The GpN tussle promises to go the full distance.

Eugene Donnelly has moved into a narrow points lead over Denis Biggerstaff in the NI Championship following last weekend’s Dogleap Rally. Richard Hogg has tied up the GpN category, even with three rounds remaining, and is 3^rd overall. Although behind Hogg in the points, Dogleap winner Kevin Lynch as well as Glenn Allen, are Donnelly’s biggest threat for the NI title under the dropped score ruling. The next NI round is the 13^th September Fermanagh Lakelands Stages.