Gallagher enters in Mexico Rally

Mexico stages the third round of the World Rally Championship this weekend, with Donegal’s Shaun Gallagher taking part.

While Irish entries are thin on the ground in the surprisingly small entry of only 42 cars, Gallagher, last year’s World Rally Championship (WRC) Rookie of the Year, has entered and is beginning his quest for the 2008 Junior world rally championship (JWRC) in his upgraded Citroen 1600.

Gallagher has put in a full entry for this year’s junior championship, won in the past by Sebastian Loeb and Daniel Sordo, and Mexico is the opening round of the 7 round, 2008 series.

The 28-year-old from Donegal won the Rookie section of the 2007 JWRC in a Citroen kit car and now makes the step up to the more powerful and indeed more expensive C2 Super 1600 machine, worth in the region of €120,000.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Mikko Hirvonen leads the driver's championship, but he'll come under stern pressure from World Champion Sebastien  Loeb (Total Citroen) and his own teammate, 22-year old Jari Mati Latvala, who scored his debut win in Sweden earlier this month. 

The Subarus of Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson are also expected to do well in the first full gravel rally of the season.