ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND OF RALLYING AHEAD

Round 3 - Pirelli Irish Tarmac Rally ChampionshipRound 2 - West Euro CupRound 2 - 023 Tiles Southern Four Rally ChampionshipRound 1 - Irish Ford Focus Rally ChampionshipRound 3 - Pirelli Historic Tarmac Rally Championship

This weekend sees Killarney host the Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of theLakes, one of the most prestigious events on the Irish motorsportcalendar.  The event is the third round of the 2004 Pirelli Irish TarmacRally Championship, and has attracted all of the series' leadingcontenders, including Derek McGarrity, Eugene Donnelly, Austin McHale,Eamonn Boland, local hero Donie O'Sullivan and Finnish driver, TapioLaukkanen.  The Rally of the Lakes is celebrating its 25th Anniversarythis year, and to mark the occasion, Killarney and District Motor Club hasadded a Super Special event to the itinerary for the weekend.  The SuperSpecial will be held at Killarney Racecourse on Friday evening.

The Super Special is being run in aid of the Fund for Jamie Kent, to whicha portion of the proceeds will be donated.  Jamie was injured in anaccident while competing as a navigator in the Cork '20' InternationalRally last October, and he is still recovering in hospital.

In welcoming "another form of horsepower" to the venue, Mr. John Looney,General Manager of Killarney Racecourse, said: "The Killarney Race Co.Ltd. is happy to be associated with the 25th Anniversary of the Rally ofthe Lakes.  It is a fantastic achievement for the Motor Club and they areto be congratulated for their wonderful efforts over the years.

"Each year the Rally has grown, and is now a recognised major economiccontributor to Killarney Town.  The Killarney Race Co. Ltd. is delightedto be the venue for this year's 'Super Special' stage event.  It is awonderful synergy between sports, coming together for a common good.  The racecourse is a first class venue and it has now been paired with worldclass rally entertainment.

"It is our hope that the event will mean a considerable donation to theJamie Kent Fund and aid in his rehabilitation.  This is a highlycommendable example of how true sports enthusiasts look after their ownand we wish Jamie all the best in his future.

"We are confident that this new and unique event will not only be hugelyattractive to fans of the sport but also afford the opportunity toindividuals and families to get close to rallying in a safe environment,an opportunity which they may never had previously."

The top drivers entered for the Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakeswill be invited to take part in the Super Special.  The course for thestage has been set out in the infield of the horse racing track, and whilemost of the course will be visible from the stands, a big screen will alsorelay the action to the spectator area.

Aside from the on-stage action, an area at Killarney Racecourse will alsobe set aside for merchandise stands and suchlike, while a simulator willalso be there to give an insight into what really goes on in the cockpitof a World Rally Car. To ensure that there will be something for all thefamily to enjoy, a Kiddies Corner, with bouncing castle, face painting,obstacle course and Junior Go-Karts, will keep younger children amused.

Gates will open at 5.30pm., and the Rally of the Lakes Super Specialevening will conclude at 9pm.

Admission to the Super Special will be charged at  Eur 10 per person.Children under 14 will be admitted free but must be accompanied by anadult.  Visitors to the Super Special are reminded that there are noparking facilities in the Racecourse grounds.  Cars may be parked on RossRoad (on the castle side of the main entrance), but not in any of theestates off it.

The 2004 Rally of the Lakes gets underway early on Saturday morning.  Ashas become a tradition, the revered Molls Gap stage will open the rally,and this is followed by two further classic stages, Killmackillogue andThe Healy Pass, before the crews reach a service halt in Castletownbere.A loop of the two famous Beara Peninsula stages, Cods Head and Ardgroom,precede another run over The Healy Pass, with the second service halt ofthe day then taking place between Glengarriff and Kealkill.

From there, the action moves east, with the Lough Allua and Fuhiry stagesnext to be tackled.  A further service halt in Kealkill will allow thedrivers a brief respite, before they again traverse Lough Allua andFuhiry.  The final stage of the day will be Lough Guitane, which willbring the crews back towards Killarney for the overnight halt

Sunday, May 2nd, will see a loop of four stages tackled twice.  Again,Molls Gap will be the first stage of the day, with the first car due tostart 'The Gap' at 10am.  The remainder of the loop is completed byBeallaghbeama, Caragh Lake and Shanera stages.  There is a service haltafter the Beallaghbeama stage at Glencar and again after the Shanera teston the main Killarney to Cork road.  The crews still remaining in therally will then get their third attempt of the weekend at Molls Gap, andthey will be joined at this point by the Junior Rally of the Lakescompetitors for the final four stages of the weekend.  There will be againbe a service in Glencar after the second run through Beallaghbeama, afterwhich there will be just two further stages remaining in the event.

The winners of the Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakes 2004 willarrive for the victory celebrations at the Gleneagle Hotel at 5.48pm onSunday evening.

Ordnance Survey Ireland Rally of the Lakes 2004 - Guide

Friday, April 30thSuper Special Killarney Racecourse 5.30 - 9.00pm

Saturday May 1stStart Ramp Gleneagle Hotel (7.47am)SS1 Molls GapSS2 KillmackillogueSS3 Healy PassService CastletownbereSS4 Cods HeadSS5 ArdgroomSS6 Healy PassService KealkillSS7 Lough AlluaSS8 FuhiryService KealkillSS9 Lough AlluaSS10 FuhirySS11 Lough Guitane

Sunday May 2ndSS12 Molls GapSS13 BeallaghbeamaService GlencarSS14 Caragh LakeSS15 ShaneraService Cork RoadSS16 Molls GapSS17 BeallaghbeamaService GlencarSS18 Caragh LakeSS19 ShaneraFinish Ramp Gleneagle Hotel (5.48pm)