The newly renamed Infinite Energy Irish Championship Car Racing (ICCR) series kicks off this weekend at Mondello Park and all indications are that it will be a strong season for the Kildare venue.
The Siltex Safety Fiesta Zetec will, once again, provide the largest grid with over thirty drivers registered.
Spectators heading to the two-day meeting will expect to see fierce racing between the former champion William Kellett, Peter Barrable and 2023 rookie champion Jason O'Connell.
The faster Fiesta STs have also landed a new sponsor in the Alloy Repair Centre, and it also has its largest grid of recent years.
The veteran and reigning champion Michael Cullen faces up against 1990s saloon rivals Gordon Kellett and the returning Mark Turley, as well as his own son Victor.
The Patch Junior MINI class has attracted huge interest over the winter months, with many RSA drivers making the jump to a full Motorsport Ireland series, something that can only be good for the sport.
Highly rated karter TJ Taffe won the Mondello scholarship, earning himself a full season racing, but he will face stiff opposition from the likes of Logan Hoey, Holly Dunnion, and RSA MINI Champion Joshua Henry, who is just 14 years old.
Irish Legends, ITCC, Future Classics and SEAT Supercup are also on the bill as are the incredibly fast BOSS Ireland cars, and Formula Vee, which continues to provide the biggest single seater grids in the Mondello Paddock.
The bike engined Northern Ireland Sevens also make a guest appearance at this weekend's race meeting and Racing takes place on both Saturday and Sunday at the County Kildare venue.
Meanwhile Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year Jack Byrne will take on his biggest challenge to date as the Wexford native has signed a deal with GPA Racing to tackle the 2024 Renault Clio Cup Europe Championship.
Byrne enjoyed an extraordinarily successful season competing in MINI CHALLENGE UK in 2023 claiming multiple wins with Graves Motorsport on his way to finishing third overall and claiming the Graduate championship.
In December he was announced as the 2023 Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year in association with Sport Ireland.
The award, consisting of the prestigious Sexton Trophy and a €50,000 prize fund, has enabled Byrne to make the step up to European level and into the highly competitive Clio Cup Europe.
Clio Cup Europe will see the drivers battle it out for overall honours on nine of Europe's best circuits including Spa-Francourchamp, Monza and Paul Ricard.
Using the factory-built Generation 5 Clio Cup car, the championship has attracted grids of up to sixty cars in previous years and ensures ultra-competitive racing with tight technical regulations.
Byrne is hoping to be competing at the front as he joins the current Clio champions at GPA Racing.
The French team's many years' experience competing in Clios as well as GT’s make them the perfect team to help Jack hit the ground running when the championship kicks off in Nagarro at the end of March.
"I am delighted to finally be able to share my plans for 2024," said Byrne.
"Following on from a pair of successful seasons in Mini Challenge UK I feel like Clio Cup is a natural next step."
"This is my first championship in a factory-built car and so far, I am really enjoying it so far and I can't wait to get stuck in.
"The calendar is mega, and I am very lucky to get to compete on some of the most renowned circuits in Europe."
Away from track racing it’s been confirmed that Ireland’s Josh McErlean will return to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2024, behind the wheel of a Toksport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 for a seven-round programme in the fiercely contested WRC2 category.
The 24-year-old ace will start his third season in the coveted World Rally Championship, but following three years with the Hyundai brand, he will switch to Škoda, run by reigning WRC2 champions Toksport WRT.
Joined by James Fulton in the co-driver’s seat, McErlean will begin his season at the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal in early May.
