15/05/07 - Round four of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship gets underway this Saturday 19 May with the KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally!

Based from Maghera's Walsh's Hotel, Magherafelt and District Motor Club have been oversubscribed with entries for their closed road event. Such is the popularity of rallying on these shores, 220 crews applied for one of the 120 places available for the rally!

Topping the entry list, local man Charlie Donnelly is set to return to action behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla WRC. The reigning Irish National Rally Champion has been taking a break for the driving seat for health reasons this year, but the temptation of competing at his home event was too difficult to resist. Donnelly won last year's Sperrins Rally behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia WRC, and will be aiming to make it two on the trot this weekend with Liam Reid navigating.

Aiming to stop him in his tracks, current Pacenotes N.I. series leaders, Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly, will start at number two in their Corolla WRC. The Cookstown driver moved to the top of the standings after taking victories at Bishopscourt and the Easter rallies. 'It never rains but it pours' rings true for Allen, and after a two year stint with no championship victories to his name, suddenly he is back on winning form.

Donemana's Sean Devine, with Damien Duffin calling the notes, will be hoping history doesn't repeat itself this weekend, as he wheels out his Subaru Impreza WRC. Last year's rally saw him crash out of the event while in a strong position at the top end of the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Stephen Moore and Tony McHugh also return in their Ford Focus WRC. They were the surprise winners at the opening round of the series in Kirkistown, and are the current leaders of the Southern Forestry Championship. Moore will be in buoyant form after his latest victory at the Munster Moonraker Rally last weekend, but the switch back to tarmac could see use the opening stages to find his feet.

Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston also joins the fray with his Subaru Impreza WRC. Currently third in championship terms, both he and Richard Bell have been enjoying a good run this year.

At number six, former Group N Champion Richard Hogg returns to the series with a Skoda Octavia WRC at his disposal. He won the Group N category on the event last year, but the move to WRC machinery could see him become a threat for overall honours.

In the Sunoco Fuels Group N category, Richard Cathcart and Killian Duffy start the event with number nine on their doors. The crew will be challenged by Neil McCance and Sean Ferris, who won their category at last weekend's Manx National Rally. Johnny McKenna will also be vying for top honours in his Evo 8, while Connor McCloskey, Errol Clarke, John McGlaughlin and Eoin McErlean will also be in the hunt.

The Superdrive two wheel drive category will also provide plenty of sideways action and drama, with Draperstown preparation man Camillus Bradley leading the way. He heads a trio of Escorts, with Alistair Cochrane and Frank Kelly also joining the fun. Rodney White, in his Talbot Sunbeam, is another who is capable of taking the prize, as are Aidan Toner, Declan McNaughton and Martin McCormack.

Spectators will have an opportunnity to see some of the latest WRC cars at close quarters this Friday (18th) at rally scrutiny, which will be held at the Station Road Business Park, Maghera, from 5pm onwards.

The rally starts in earnest at 10am on Saturday morning from Walsh's Hotel, when crews will leave to tackle six demanding tarmac stages in the Sperrin Mountains and Upperlands area. The first car is due back at Walsh's Hotel for the champagne finish at approximately 4.45pm.

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