McKenna relishes World Rally Challenge

Daniel McKenna, co-driver Arthur Kierans and his team are in the final stages of preparation for their first ever world rally, Wales Rally GB this weekend, writes Trish Whelan.

The recently crowned Pirelli Star Driver will use his Scanbitz Ltd and Ravenol Motoroil supported Ford Fiesta R2 on the mammoth event and is relishing the challenges he will face over the four days of competition.

Daniel received a free entry to the event from wining the R2 category int he BRC in conjunction with the road to Wales campaign. An added bonus for him is that the stages used in this year's Wales rally GB will be of a similar nature to what he will face in the first round of the BRC in 2014, the Bulldog rally of North Wales. Daniel will get behind the wheel of the Pirelli backed Citroen DS3 R3T for his 2014 championship assault.

The event starts on Thursday evening with three night stages. You can track Daniel via his website, danielmckenna.net.

Daniel and Arthur are pictured above in action at the Scottish Rally, Round Three of the BRC in the Motorsport Ireland and Irish Sports Council Supported Fiesta R2. Photo by Flashpoint Photography.

Bangkok seeks to host FIA Formula E

Bangkok, Thailand's capital city, has joined the list of candidate cities bidding to host the new FIA Formula E Championship.

Earlier this year, FEH presented the FIA with a preliminary list of eight cities - London, Rome, Los Angeles, Miami, Beijing, Putrajaya, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro - all selected to host races for the inaugural session. A total of 10 races are scheduled for next year with Bangkok adding its
name to the list of candidate cities for the remaining two slots.

Formula E is a new FIA championship that brings electric vehicle racing to the people, as city centres around the world play host to an electric energy World Championship designed to promote interest and investment in electric vehicles and sustainable motoring.

Mondello Park Car Races to be streamed live

Mondello Park's Car Race season starts with a bang this weekend, with a packed 17-race programme run by the Irish Motor Racing Club taking place over Saturday and Sunday. The event will feature some brand new classes and the first ever Live Streaming Web TV Coverage of an Irish Car Race event.

Many classes see increased entries and the introduction of three new series, two of which will be on show this weekend. The PatchTyre Equipment Fiesta Championship, with the brand new series for standard Fiesta Zetec's cars, has attracted more than 25 cars for its race.

Modified Live Show for Mondello Park

The latest addition to the Irish Modified Car scene, Mondello Park's 'Modified Live' show was launched at Mondello Park last Friday, 5 April. The show was launched by two of Ireland's top Drift exponents, James Deane and Mike Fitzgerald and Time-Attack Unlimited class front runner Paul Molloy.

James Deane had his brand new Falken Tyres Mazda RX7 Drift car on display alongside the similar Hankook liveried car of Mike Fitzgerald and the Unlimited Class Time-Attack Mitsubishi Evo of Paul Molloy. Deane and Fitzgerald will be two of the top competitors taking part in the opening round of the new IDC (Irish Drift Championship) which will be the centrepiece of the Modified Live event on Sunday April 21st.

Mondello Modified Live is an event for owners of European, Japanese & American cars to display their vehicles. Alongside the drifting and Time-Attack track action the show will feature displays by owners clubs, websites and individuals, as well as track day sessions for performance road cars.

Pictured at the launch were Donna Lyons with James Deane, Mikle Fitzgerald and Paul Molloy who will be competing at Modified Live on April 21 at Mondello Park.

Rob Huff crowned WTCC World Champion

Rob Huff has accomplished his mission! The Chevrolet driver claimed his first FIA WTCC title at the end of an eventful day yesterday, recovering from a mistake in the first race that could have ruined his whole season.

After having been the fastest in all the sessions from Friday morning, Huff was so eager to settle the matter as soon as possible that he took an unnecessary risk and crashed from the lead. This offered his team-mates and rivals Yvan Muller and Alain Menu the opportunity to finish first and second, significantly cutting their point gaps which meant that the second race would have to be the decider.

This time Huff benefitted from the mistakes of the drivers in front of him to finish second behind Menu and so grabbed a well deserved world crown.

Chevrolet and its three drivers must be praised for such a triumphal season. The Cruze cars built and run by the RML have always set the pace, on all the tracks and in all conditions.

In the Yokohama Trophy, Darryl O'Young was able to win both races in front of his home supporters, Norbert Michelisz was crowned champion of the Drivers' Trophy, while Lukoil Racing won the Team's Trophy.

Tiago Monteiro gave Honda and JAS Motorsport their first podium result, only one month after they joined the championship.

WTCC: Macau to stage title decider, and Chevrolet's farewell

Chevrolet's successful participation in the World Touring Car Championship comes to an end in Macau in a week's time with the Manufacturers' title already wrapped up, but the Driver's title still undecided.

All eyes will be on the U.S. brand's three drivers - Rub Huff, Alain Menu and Yvan Muller - who are the only three contenders for the coveted Drivers' crown.

On paper, Huff is in the strongest position, leading the standings on 390 points, followed by Menuy (355), some 35 points behind and with Muller (349) in third place, 41 points behind the leader. With 55 points on offer, including five awarded for pole position, the race is still open.

Macau, the traditional closing event of the WTCC, is a fast track and has rarely been short on surprises. The circuit is a favourite for Huff who has claimed five of the last eight races.

The 6.117 km urban track of Guia run along the streets of the former Portuguese enclave, known as the world's gambling capital, is one of the fastest and most challenging in racing, comparable to Monte Carlo in Formula 1.

The final races in Macau will also be an emotional moment for chevrolet and the team as this will be the last stop before the end of the U.S. brand's WTCC programme, announced last July. Chevrolet joined the WTCC at its inception eight years ago and has won three Manufacturer's titles and three Drivers' titles, two with Muller and the third to be decided in Macau. Muller, Menu and Huff are pictured above.

WTCC: Huff claims a stake on world title

Rob Huff is only two races away from being 2012 FIA World Touring Car Champion. The young Englishman walked away from Shanghai as the new point leader, 15 days before the season's finale.

Huff claimed one second place in yesterday's first race and then won the second one benefitting from the collision between his Chevrolet team-mates Alain Menu and Yvan Muller.

An incident that almost terminated their hopes to keep on fighting until the last finish line. Winning the first race in China, Menu had managed to reduce his gap to 25 points and was set to further close it as he was leading the second race When Muller hit him in an attempt to overtake, Menu slipped down to third, while the Frenchman was later punished by the Stewards with a time penalty that dropped him out of the points.

This gave Huff a solid margin, although both menu and Muller are still in contention by the numbers, because they now lie 35 and 41 points behind, with 55 still to be awarded.

In the Yokohama Trophy, the fight for the title is going to the wire at Macau. Stefano D'Aste put in two strong performances - third and fourth overall - to win both races, and have gaps of just 15 and 3 points from Norbert Michelisz and Pepe Oriola who both experienced a black weekend.

Chevrolet has already won the Manufacturers' title. Sunday's race saw the the lead at the top extended further, with Chevrolet on 930 points, BMW in 2nd place on 602 points and SEAT in 3rd on 569.

The championship resumes for the final races - Rounds 23 and 24 - at Macau on November 18.

Valvoline Forest shoot out in The Glens

Next Saturday’s  Glens of Antrim rally is the seventh and final round of the 2012 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland Forest Rally Championship.

This popular championship has provided huge excitement and very competitive racing in all the classes throughout the season writes Austin Shinnors, PRO Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Championship. Any one of three drivers can claim the Valvoline crown this afternoon and many of the classes are still to be resolved.

Monaghan’s Stephen Wright is the championship leader with 101 points, his Evo 6 scoring well on every rally. His season started on a great note, finishing second in opening round in Donegal and he followed  with very consistent scores: a third, a fifth, two sixths and an eighth place.  

Just three points behind is Colin Britton with 98 points. The Strabane driver in his Evo9 is having a great season to-date with a first on round six in Omagh, a second, two thirds and one fourth place. Britton had one retirement, when the transmission let go on round five in Mitchelstown.

Vincent McAree is next up just four points adrift of Britton. The Monaghan man had a bad start to the year with a mechanical retirement in the Evo9 in Donegal but he recovered well and he has been well on the pace with two seconds, one third, one fourth and a sixth place.

Muller and Huff on equal points after USA

WTCC drivers treated American fans to a breathtaking show when the championship visited Sonoma and the United States.

Both races were eventful. Yvan Muller and Rob Huff in their Chevrolet Cruzes shared the victory honours and their results also made the fight for the world championship as hot as ever. The two Chevrolet drivers are now on equal points with only six races to go. Rob Huff is pictured above celebrating winning Race 2.

It's easy to predict that the battle will go to the wire at Macau once again.

Norbert Michelisz also had reasons to rejoice as the young Hungarian was a pain in the neck for the Chevrolet cars in both races and eventually claimed two podium results and stretched his leadership in the Yokohama Trophy.

Gabriele Tarquini and Alaim Menu tried their best and never gave up, but their hopes of achieving great results vanished when they collided at the start of the first race. The Italian had the consolation of a podium in Race 2 while the Swiss saw his hopes of staying in contention for the title fight seriously jeopardized.

Tom Coronel completed two great recoveries from 20th on the grids to eight and fifth; Alex MacDowall chased the topd rivers in both races and Tiago Monteiro finished twice in the points on his last appearance with Sunred before switching to Honda.

The championship now crosses the Pacific for the Asian tour that traditionally closes the season and includes stops in Japan, China and Macau. Rounds 19 and 20 will take place at Suzuka on 21 October.

Irish Crews enjoy Eifel Festival of Fun

The 2012 Eifel Rallye Festival took place in the German city of Daun on the weekend of July 26-28th, writes Austin Shinnors.

Once again it was a glittering showcase of historic rally cars. Run according to Slowly Sideways regulations, drivers were permitted to change cars and co-drivers and stage times were not recorded.

Thirty-one different manufacturers were represented and seventy-six different models of car among which there are thirty-six Group B cars and more than forty absolutely original rally cars. Drivers came from thirteen different countries. This year’s theme was the Safari Rally, bringing together the spectacular cars in desert spec from the ’60s to the ’90s.

The 3-day event took place on ten special stages all located in a 30 km radius of Daun. The city is located in the volcanic Eifel region, which also counts the Trier based Rally Germany and the daunting Nurburgring race track as its attractions.

The entry list was headed by World Champion Walter Röhrl, European Champion Jochi Kleint and the two German Rally Champions Harald Demuth und Sepp Haider. Ireland was well represented by Conor Falvey, Pat Horan, Enda Gormley, Mervyn Johnston and Dermot Simpson. (Conor Falvey and James O'Brien are pictured above).

Loeb wins Rally Finland

Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb continued his dominance of the World Rally Championship this weekend winning Rally Finland for the third time.

Seb and his co-driver Daniel Elena won what was also the 500th event in the FIA World Rally Championship. This fifth one-two finish of the year meant the Citroen Total World Rally Team and its crews moved a little further ahead in the Manufacturers' and Drivers' championship standings.

Seb and Daniel led from start to finish. The day featured three parts; after two runs on a loop of two stages, Surkee and Leustu, the competitors were then faced with two runs on the famous 33km-long Ouninpohja test.

Triple and double wins for Cruzes in Brazil

Another WTCC weekend turned into a triumph for Chevrolet, as Yvan Muller and Rob Huff shared victories at Curitiba in Brazil.

Yvan Muller, Alain Menu and Rob Huff (pictured) signed off the sixth triple win of the year in Race 1, while Huff and Menu made it a 1-2 in Race 2, with Muller finishing 4th.


This means that 13 races out of the 16 held so far have been won by the blue Cruze cars.

Gabriele Tarquini had tjavascript:void(0)o settle in fourth position after he tried in vain to disrupt the Chevrolet trio at the start. The Italian ace was close to performing a miracle in the second race, leading for a few laps, but eventually he had to surrender, losing also second place to Menu. But at least he claimed a well deserved third position ahead of Muller.


This means that 13 races out of the 16 held so far have been won by the blue Cruze cars.

Chevrolet leads the Manufacturers' Championship by 243 points, just one step away from a third consecutive world title, while behind them BMW and SEAT are split by five points only. The Drivers' crown has been thrown wide open with a mere 27 points separating the three Chevvy drivers.

The championship now takes a long summer break, while cars and parts are being shipped to the USA where Rounds 17 and 18 will take place at Sonoma in California on September 23 - the first ever series race in the United States.

Scarlet fever at Silverstone Classic

A world record 60 Ferrari F40s took to the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit during today's Silverstone Classic powered by the AA event to mark the Italian supercar's 25th birthday.

The phalanx of scarlet red F40s led to a glittering parade of marques, models and car clubs celebrating special milestones in the sun on Sunday at the world's biggest classic motor racing festival.

The F40 was the world's first 200mph road car when it appeared in 1987 and is still rated by many to be the finest supercar in history. It was also the legendary Enzo Ferrari's 'supercar swansong' before his death in 1988.

In total, more than 400 rare and exotic cars joined in today's parade, notably iconic British sportscars such as TVRs, Lotus Elans, Triumph Spitfires, Austin Healeys and MGBs - 2012 is the MGB's golden anniversary year - plus Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz car club members.

On Saturday, it had been the turn of hundreds of BMW's Z1, Z3, Z4 and Z8 sportscars to lap the famous GP track as part of the UK's first 'Z-fest'.

Chevrolet to leave WTCC at end of season

Chevrolet will leave the World Touring Car Championship at the end of the 2012 season.

The shock announcement follows a strategic review of Chevrolet's motorsport and marketing programmes.

The American manufacturer had joined WTCC from the championship's maiden year back in 2005 with the Lacetti model car; they then switched to the Cruze in 2009.

The eight-year programme has so far resulted in two Drivers' and Constructors' Championships (2010-2011) and 59 race wins for Chevrolet. For three consecutive years, Chevrolet's racing team has proven the on-tract abilities of the Cruze, the brand's best-selling nameplate, against major contenders in motorsports.

This announcement is being made mid-season to allow Chevrolet's race drivers, Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu, and race partner RML to plan for the future. Huff and Muller are pictured above during  Race 1, Portimao, Race of Portugal and on the podium.

The Chevrolet WTCC Team currently leads both Championships and is aiming to finish on a high by adding two more World Titles to its achievements in the series.

Chevrolet will continue to be present in global motorsports with its many other race series, including IndyCar and GT racing.

Preview: Ravens Rock Rally 2012

Over the past two years, the last Saturday and Sunday of June has signified an octane fuelled weekend in the Marble City writes Trevor McGrath of Carrick on Suir Motor Club.

This is set to continue this year as the Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club brings the Ravens Rock Rally to Kilkenny City and County for the third successive year with the tarmac rally taking place next Sunday. Sponsored by Suirway Farm Machinery and the Kilford Arms Hotel, the Motorsport Rally has been taken to the hearts of Kilkenny people during the previous two visits and now looks set for one final blast in the home of the Black and Amber.

At the helm again this year is Threecastle's John Rafter, 'Clerk of the Course'. The event starts with a Ceremonial Start at the Tholsel, High Street on Saturday evening, 23 June at 19:00 hours. The main event begins on Sunday morning with the first of nine special stages at 9.48am. The rally follows the same format as last year with a three stage layout and centralised service in Chancellors Mill after every three stages.

Top Gear's Deadly 720

Deadly 720 is the world's first double loop the loop stunt and will be attempted by the Top Gear Live Stunt Team during the Top Gear Festival staged in Durban, South Africa next weekend.

The two loops are each 8 metres tall and comprise of 8 tons of steelwork (16 tons in total).

The buggy is fitted with special hand controls to lock out the accelerator pedal during the stunt as, during testing, the extreme G forces involved forced the driver's foot to bury the throttle and resulted in the buggy crashing on exit of the loop.

The dash is fitted with a large shift light that goes from red to green when the buggy is at sufficient speed to complete the loop. With only a 30m run up the shift light will be changing to green a mere five metres before going vertical - not a lot of time to jump on the brakes and abort.

The buggy must enter each loop between 24 and 26mph to successfully complete the stunt, or risk falling out at the top of the loop. An increase of speed will result in an extra G of force on the driver and could cause him to black out. The buggy must exit the first loop with enough speed to enter the second loop at the prerequisite speed. Entering the loop has been likened to hitting a flat wall at speed. If the car bottoms out during either loop, its chassis will grind the steel floor and swipe of vital mph just when the driver needs it most.

Star Trek Captain in space race

Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart is now ready to boldly go where no Starship Enterprise commander has ever gone before, writes Trish Whelan.

The 71-year-old movie legend, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the iconic sci-fi series, has just passed his official ARDS racing driver test and is ready to compete in a special Celebrity Challenge race at this summer's Silverstone Classic powered by the AA. This is the world's biggest classic motor racing festival and takes place at the famous Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire (birthplace of the FIA Formula One World Championship) from 20-22 July.

Stewart passed both written and driving tests required to obtain a MSA competition licence at Silverstone. He is pictured with the Morgan that he will be racing at this year's Silverstone Classic.

The Hollywood actor will line up on the starting grid alongside a host of personalities from showbiz, sport, TV and music all racing around the famous Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in lightweight, competition prepared Morgans capable of topping 130mph. Those taking part include award-winning chef Heston Blumenthal, lifestyle guru Jo Wood, Dave Vitty from Radio 1 in the UK, Sky Sports presenter Vicky Gomersall, legendary rocker Brian Johnson from AC/DC, and Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole.

For information on tickets and events, contact www.silverstoneclassic.com.website

Cruzes left Europe with double win in Portugal

Yvan Muller and Alain Menu scored another two victories for Chevrolet in Portimao, increasing the manufacturer's tally in the current season to 11 out of 14.

In the first race, Yvan Muller, the reigning world champion pipped pole sitter Gabriele Tarquini at the start and resisted the Italian's and Rob Huff's comeback in the last laps.

Alain Menu played the part of comic books hero Michel Vaillant and dominated the second race in his Chevrolet in Vaillante disguise (pictured left). Rob Huff marked his 200th race in touring car racing with a podium finish.

These results mean that Chevrolet has stretched further the leading margin in the Manufacturers' Championship to 189 points.

In the Drivers' Championship, Muller made another small step forward, scoring eight and two points more than Huff and Menu. The Frenchman now has an 18-point lead on Huff, while Menu lies 37 points adrift.

The fight for the best of the rest between Tom Coronel and Gabriele Tarquini has also become hotter. Both finished once on the podium on Sunday, but Tarquini's withdrawal in the second race gave the Dutchman an eight-point edge.

The Portugal race saw the end of the WTCC's European season. The championship takes a 50-day break while cars and parts are being shipped to Brazil where rounds 15 and 16 will take place at Curitiba on 22 July.

Muller, Michelisz and Huff are pictured above during the race.

Schedule for Bavaria City Racing Dublin Track

With just three days to go until Bavaria City Racing Dublin takes over the streets of Dublin and transforms the city into a haven of Formula 1 and motorsport, here are the details on what the public can expect to see on Sunday next.

The event gets underway at 12 noon with five full hours of on-track entertainment. Dublin's city centre will be closed for the day to accommodate the city track which starts at the Convention Centre Dublin, continues along Customs House Quay before crossing Butt Bridge chicanes at D'Olier Street, zips past College Green and the Central Bank on Dame Street before reaching the chequered flag on O'Connell Bridge.

Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button will do three circuits of the track, one in the McLaren MP4 Supercar at 12:20 and two in his Vodafone McLaren F1 Car (13:20 and 14:35).

Giedo van der Garde, driver for the Caterham F1 team, will complete three circuits of the city track in his F1 car (14:00, 15:25 & 16:30). Also not to be missed is the Monster Street Mania (12:40 & 15:45) a spectacular series of choreographed stunts featuring legendary stunt drivers Terry Grant, Buttsy and Mattie Griffin.

The on-track schedule also features Irish Superbike star Eugene Laverty and his Aprilia team (13:40 & 16:20) and Irish AIGP world champion Adam Carroll in the 24hr Le Mans Spyker (12:30 & 15:05).

Ireland's Japanese racer home for Bavaria City Racing

Gary Thompson is the latest big name from the world of motorsport to be confirmed for the Bavaria City Racing Dublin which takes place this coming Sunday 3 June.

The 19-year-old from Donabate has been racing in Asia for the past four years, making a name for himself in the Japanese Formula 3 Series. He also became the first driver to drive a Formula 1 car in Taiwan when he drove the KCMG two-seater F1 car at the Penbay International Circuity in 2011, a car which he regularly tests and demonstrates at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

This year, Thompson is fighting for the Japanese Formula 3 title with KCMG, and is also the reserve driver for the KCMG Formula Nippon team. Bavaria City Racing will be the first time since his karting days that Gary gets behind the wheel of a racing car on home soil.

Thompson joins some of the biggest names in world motorsport at the Bavaria City Racing Dublin event including Jenson Button (pictured above) and his Vodafone McLaren F1 team, Eugene Laverty and the Aprilia SuperBike team as well as a host of others.

The city track starts at the Convention Centre in Dublin, continues along Customs House Quay before crossing Butt Bridge, chicane's at D'Olier Street, zips past College Green and the Central Bank on Dame Street before reaching the chequered flag on O'Connell Street.