Top motorsport event the Circuit of Ireland is back significantly enhanced for 2014 with the announcement today that the iconic rally is one of 12 set to feature in next year’s revamped FIA European Rally Championship calendar. Scheduled to take place during its traditional Easter Week-end slot on 18-19 April, the Circuit of Ireland Rally is being billed as one [...]

Students at St. Malachy’s High School in Castlewellan, as well as St. Michael’s Primary School in Finnis, near Dromara, received visits from the MSA’s N.I. Go Motorsport Regional Development Officer (RDO) on Wednesday. Despite the heavy rain, students didn’t allow their enthusiasm to be dampened as they discovered  all about the world of motorsport. RDO Jonathan MacDonald delivered a strong [...]

Ireland’s Paul Nagle has taken over the role of co-driver to Volkswagen works driver Andreas Mikkelsen (N) at the Rally Australia. Nagle is standing in for Mikko Markkula (FIN), who is currently recovering from two injured vertebrae. The Norwegian/Finnish duo had to withdraw from last week’s Rally Germany at the last minute, as Markkula’s injury was too severe to allow [...]

Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) have had to withdraw from the Rally Germany for health reasons. A diagnosis prior to the start of the Rally Germany revealed that co-driver Mikko Markkula had fractured his seventh vertebra and partially fractured his eighth vertebra, presumably during the Rally Finland three weeks ago. Based on these findings, Volkswagen Motorsport took the decision [...]

The Carryduff Forklift MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship bursts back into action this week when the Todds Leap Ulster Rally gets underway on Friday. The Championship tussle resumes on the closed roads in Fermanagh and Tyrone with the two-day event also hosting rounds of the premier British and Irish Tarmac series. There are a number of different categories to [...]

After strong performances in their first outing in the DS3 WRC in Finland, Kris Meeke and Chris Patterson have been chosen to team up with Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team for Rally Australia in Coffs Harbour on 13-15 September. The fastest rally on the calendar proved tricky for Dani Sordo, who [...]

It’s looking likely that another opportunity for Kris Meeke to drive the Citroen DS3 WRC that he used at last weekend’s Rally Finland is on the cards. Sheikh Khalid al Qassimi, who asked the Dungannon driver to take his place for the Finnish event, posted on his Twitter account this morning… Chances may come & go, yet Kris deserves them [...]

This weekend’s Orchard Motorsport Lurgan Park Rally has a stunning entry, with 10 World Rally Cars heading an invited list of 50 crews. Topping that list is 11 times winner Kenny McKinstry in his Subaru WRC, with 5 times Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly at 2, current Tarmac Championship leader Garry Jennings at 3 also in a Subaru, and former multiple [...]

You have to hand it to Kris Meeke. It has been more than 18 months since he last competed in a World Rally Championship event but in his first rally with a Citroen DS3 WRC – a car that he only tested for the first time just a few days ago – he is lying sixth overall at the end [...]

(Image: Andre Lavadin) Kris Meeke has just set third fastest time over stage three of this year’s Rally Finland. After losing time with a puncture on stage two, Northern Irishman Meeke is beginning to get into his stride and was only 1.7 seconds slower than the fastest time set by Sebastien Ogier on the 13.68km test. At the top of [...]