22/02/07 - It's time to blow off the winter cobwebs as the 2007 Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship kicks into action this Saturday with the Eurocables Stages Rally!

Based at County Down's Kirkistown Race Circuit, North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club have attracted a full complement of 120 cars for this weekend's event. The popular season opener, which is held on a mixture of tarmac and loose surfaces, features six stages and approximately 26 stage miles.

"We're very pleased to once again have the support of Shane Braniff from Eurocables," said Clerk of the Course, Eric McCombe. "Shane is a prominent businessman in the area and has a number of established businesses to his name. He recently opened 'The Slip' in Portaferry, so we're delighted to hold the event's prize-giving at the popular Portaferry night spot, after the champagne finish on Saturday evening."

Event sponsor Braniff has also dabbled in rallying over the years but on this occasion he will take to the navigator's seat beside Wesley Patterson. The Mark 2 Escort crew, which is interestingly sponsored by FECKiN Irish Whiskey, another of Braniff's concerns, top the two wheel drive seeds. The crew will face opposition from the likes of Alistair Cochrane, Gareth Nevin, James Kennedy and John Waring in their bid for two wheel drive honours.

At the top of the entry list, Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly are the number one seeds in their Toyota Corolla WRC. The crew have decided to contest both the N.I. Championship and the Irish National Championship this year. It will be a busy season for both men, and Allen has already started his year on the right foot after winning the Ballypatrick Stages Rally, a non-championship event, earlier this month.

"I'm really looking forward to this year," Allen said. "I had my girlfriend navigating for the first time at Ballypatrick and we had a very good day. It was a bit slippery in the morning and she had never sat in the car before so she was a bit wary of it. As the day went on, the grip was better and I must admit, it was a very good event. My usual navigator, Damien Connolly, is back in the seat this weekend and hopefully we can continue that success!"

Allen will face stiff competition from Bangor's Michael Curran, who has hired a Skoda Octavia WRC. The 26-year-old driver, with Fabian McShane on the notes, finished second last year behind champion, Kevin Lynch. The Dungiven driver's absence from this year's event means Curran is aiming to top the podium this time.

Also in the hunt, Strabane's Sean Devine and Damien Duffin are set to wheel out their Subaru Impreza WRC. The crew won November's Glens of Antrim Stages, the final round of the 2006 championship, so they will be looking to start as they finished. Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston will also return to action in his Impreza WRC while father and son, Denis and Stuart Biggerstaff, are hoping for a better run after their first stage disappointment at the New Year Stages in January.

Further down the order, Cahal Arthurs and John McIlheaney are set to bring a Skoda Fabia WRC to the circuit, while Stephen Moore and Tony McHugh start their campaign in a Ford Focus WRC. Gary White has three times N.I. Champion, Kenny McKinstry, calling the notes and Ballymena's George Robinson, with Tommy Speers, always go well at Kirkistown.

Richard Cathcart, Michael McColgan and Seamus Devine also have Imprezas at their disposal, while Willie Singleton and John Magee are all set for a blast in their Setanta Sports backed Ford Escort Cosworth. Among the Group N crews, Greyabbey's Dickie and Liam Curran top the list in their Mitsubishi Lancer, just ahead of current champion Stanley Ballantine, who has Richard Hyland in the hot seat. Comber's Neil McCance and Sean Ferris also wheel out their Lancer, with John Walker, Ian Cochrane and Stephen Kelly also inside the top 20.

The first stage is set to get underway at 9am on Saturday (17 February), when competitors will tackle the first of six stages. The champagne finish is due to take place at dinner time, before crews travel to The Slip in Portaferry for the prize-giving.

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