Mike Quinn the leading Kerry contender on the Connaught stages

Seán Moriarty

MIKE Quinn will contest this weekend’s Connaught Stages Rally in Sligo in an effort to maintain his lead in the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship,.

Quinn and co-driver Tony Quinn took the lead of the locally sponsored series after last month’s Circuit of Munster enticing the Ford Escort crew to enter the Sligo-based rally on Sunday.

Ger O’Brien and John Liston are another Kerry crew making the long trip up the west coast this weekend. The Abbeydorney / Tralee pairing are the current leaders of class 13 in the West Coast championship and this mark their first time competing in Sligo.

O’Brien said: “I need to go there to maintain my points in the class championship.”

Interestingly, the next round for Top Part series, the Galway Summer Rally has be rescheduled to a new day because of the Pope’s visit to Knock.

Originally set for August 26, organisers have been forced to move it to August 19 as hotel accommodation in east County Galway has been snapped up by visitors to Knock shrine in County Mayo who wish to attend services led by the world leader of the Catholic Church.

Junior driver Conor Murphy, from Aghadoe, is another Kerry driver heading north this weekend. The Honda Civic driver top table the table in under-27 rankings in the West Coast Rally Championship.

Dublin-based Kerry man, John McCarthy continues his association with County Downbased driver John Devlin. The Ford Escort pair will contest Saturday Loughall Country Park Rally in County Armagh.