A MOTORCYCLE team set up in 2015 in honour of Ballinhassig's Sean Hurley, who lost his life in a tragic road accident, is within sight of victory in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship.

Sean was a talented motorcyclist and won the Irish Supersport Championship in 2011. Only two days before his untimely passing in November that year, he had drawn up a ‘bucket list’ that included a wish to be a World Superbike winner. Four years later, the formation of Team #109 was the beginning of the plan to achieve that ambition. 

Last weekend, Spanish teenager Benat Fernandez (17), racing with Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove, retained the lead of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship following two fine performances in the penultimate set of races in Estoril, Portugal. 

This weekend, the series concludes with two races in Jerez (Spain) with the Team #109 rider holding a ten-point advantage over his nearest rival, Australian Carter Thompson, with Spanish rider David Salvador 22 points off the top and Italian Matteo Vannucci 46 points behind. Only four drivers are in a title decider that will be full of emotion for Sean's parents Dave and Mairead (who now reside in Rosscarbery) and his sister and RTÉ Sports presenter Jacqui.

‘If we could win a World Championship, and we are on the cusp of it, it would be lovely. If it comes together at the weekend it will be absolutely fantastic,’ Dave says.

‘For what started with nothing, we have come a long way. If we do this, that will be the bucket list completed by ourselves for ourselves.’

The weekend races will be shown live on TNT Sports.

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The top five finishers in the recent Cork ‘20’ Rally that included local driver Cal McCarthy from Clonakilty are set to compete in the upcoming Fastnet Rally, the final round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. 

The Donegal and Boyle family trio of Declan and his sons Michael and Matthew along with Tyrone's Ryan Loughran will tackle the eight-stage encounter. Declan Boyle will steer his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 while in a slight deviation from the Cork ‘20’, Michael and Matthew are swapping cars with Michael steering a Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Matthew at the wheel of the Skoda Fabia that Michael drove to victory in Cork.

Other leading entries are Ballylickey's Daniel Cronin (Citroen C3 Rally2), Clonakilty's David Guest (Ford Fiesta Rally2), Dunmanway's Jason McSweeney (Skoda Fabia R5) and Conor McCarthy (Ford Fiesta Rally2).

Replicating his fifth-place finish on the Cork '20’ all of 11 years ago, Cal McCarthy was pleased with his latest outing: ‘Considering the amount of competition I had this year compared to the four drivers that finished ahead of me, particularly the three Boyles, I was pleased.

‘Rallying is all about seat time and I could see on the Sunday – having competed in Wexford a few weeks ago (my pace) I was getting closer. The confidence builds accordingly.’ 

On the most recent Fastnet Rally (2023). McCarthy/Calnan finished fifth. 

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Rosscarbery co-driver Alistair Wyllie and his Tyrone driver Ashley Dickson debuted a new Ford Fiesta Rally2 to an eighth place finish in last Saturday's Premier Car Parts Dogleap Rally, the penultimate round of the Brown and Brown Northern Ireland Gravel Rally Challenge in Derry. 

Despite feeling unwell Dickson decided to battle through the six-stage event. On the opening stage, the pair lost 20 seconds when they spun and stalled their Fiesta at a hairpin right, and finished the stage in 17th position. On the second stage, that transpired to be extremely slippery, some understeer added to their woes albeit they made up one place.

Rosscarbery co-driver Alistair Wyllie.

Setting a strong time on the final stage of the loop they were just outside the top ten at the Ballykelly service halt. With new tyres for the repeat loop, they made inroads to the top ten and went on to claim eighth.

The rally was won by Strabane's Niall Devine (VW Polo GTi R5), ahead of the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Omagh's Gareth Mimnagh.

Dickson/Wyllie's next outing together is the Donegal Forest Rally in early November. In the meantime, the Rosscarbery co-driver will accompany Kilcrohane's Jer O'Donovan (Ford Fiesta R5) in next week's Fastnet Rally. 

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Former double winning Irish Navigation Rally champion Drinagh's Denis O'Donovan is amongst the entries for this weekend's Cork Startrek Navigation Trial that is based in the Donoughmore Community Centre. It also marks the beginning of the Motorsport Ireland National Navigation series and the Munster Navigation series. O'Donovan will be driven through the 85-mile event by Wexford's James Boland. 

Ovens driver Owen Murphy and Donoughmore's Patrick O'Sullivan are also on the entry, as are Bantry's Seamus McHugh/Thomas Mulcahy along with reigning champions Monaghan's Andy Mackarel and Limerick's Greg Shinnors. Based on Ordnance Survey Discovery Sheets 79 and 80, the first car away is at 11.30pm on Saturday night.