Alastair Fisher and Jon Armstrong will lead the local charge for honours at this weekend’s Circuit of Ireland Rally. The latest round of the European Rally Championship has attracted some of the continents best drivers, but both Fermanagh drivers will be hoping to challenge for the top spot in their respective classes.

Alastair Fisher, co-driven by Gordon Noble, will take his seat behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5 for the first time as he looks to challenge the European regulars for outright victory on the event, while Jon Armstrong will be looking to improve on his fifth place finish on the opening round of the series in Latvia in the junior version of the championship.

Top seed and pre-event favourite for the rally is Craig Breen, but it is a strong international line up with drivers from Poland, France, and Bulgaria all fighting for the top spot. For Alastair the event is his first competitive outing of the season in a car that is unfamiliar for him, so he is unsure how he will fare against the competition. “There is a very strong entry for the event and it is the first time for us in the R5 so it is a bit of the unknown for us,” he said. “We will just do the best we can. We did 80 kilometres in the car and it felt very good. It seems quite similar to the Super 2000 we had in Donegal back in 2011. It is quite a long event and there are 18 stages and we certainly would like to be on the podium at the end of them, but it just depends how quickly we click with the car and get up to speed.” Jon Armstrong ventured into the unknown for the first round of the Junior European Rally Championship this season, but he has left the snow of Latvia behind for the familiarity of Irish tarmac, and he is hoping his experience on the local roads will boost his chances of success. Seeded at number 30 and co-driven by Noel O’Sullivan, Jon’s Peugeot 208 is one of 19 cars vying for the class win.

Running alongside the European contenders, the Circuit of Ireland National Rally will feature the contenders for the Irish Tarmac Championship crown. The absence of Garry Jennings from the starting list all but ends his chances of the title this season after he also missed the previous round in West Cork, with Declan Boyle the favourite for victory. Rory Byrne will contest Group N in his Mitsubishi Evo X, while Raymond Johnston is entered in the historic class in his Escort.

As well as the dedicated rally competitors there is a celebrity element to this year’s rally. Nathan Carter is set to navigate in a course car ahead of the main field, while world famous actor Idris Elba, who played Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom, is to compete in a special ‘invitation’ rally on the Saturday as part of a new Discovery TV series where he pushes himself to the limit on a range of sporting challenges.

The Circuit of Ireland Rally action takes place across three days at Easter. Following the ‘shakedown’ and qualifying round in Holywood in the afternoon of Thursday 2nd April, thousands of fans are expected to flock to the ceremonial start of the rally at Belfast City Hall that evening.

Competitive rallying takes place on Friday 3rd April and Saturday 4th April, including visits to Newtownards, Downpatrick, Banbridge as well as Lisburn. The winner will be crowned at a ceremonial finish back in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter on the evening of Easter Saturday. The event service park will be located in the Titanic Quarter from Easter Thursday until Saturday.

Alastair Fisher and Jon Armstrong will lead the local charge for honours at this weekend’s Circuit of Ireland Rally. The latest round of the European Rally Championship has attracted some of the continents best drivers, but both Fermanagh drivers will be hoping to challenge for the top spot in their respective classes.

Alastair Fisher, co-driven by Gordon Noble, will take his seat behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5 for the first time as he looks to challenge the European regulars for outright victory on the event, while Jon Armstrong will be looking to improve on his fifth place finish on the opening round of the series in Latvia in the junior version of the championship.

Top seed and pre-event favourite for the rally is Craig Breen, but it is a strong international line up with drivers from Poland, France, and Bulgaria all fighting for the top spot. For Alastair the event is his first competitive outing of the season in a car that is unfamiliar for him, so he is unsure how he will fare against the competition. “There is a very strong entry for the event and it is the first time for us in the R5 so it is a bit of the unknown for us,” he said. “We will just do the best we can. We did 80 kilometres in the car and it felt very good. It seems quite similar to the Super 2000 we had in Donegal back in 2011. It is quite a long event and there are 18 stages and we certainly would like to be on the podium at the end of them, but it just depends how quickly we click with the car and get up to speed.” Jon Armstrong ventured into the unknown for the first round of the Junior European Rally Championship this season, but he has left the snow of Latvia behind for the familiarity of Irish tarmac, and he is hoping his experience on the local roads will boost his chances of success. Seeded at number 30 and co-driven by Noel O’Sullivan, Jon’s Peugeot 208 is one of 19 cars vying for the class win.

Running alongside the European contenders, the Circuit of Ireland National Rally will feature the contenders for the Irish Tarmac Championship crown. The absence of Garry Jennings from the starting list all but ends his chances of the title this season after he also missed the previous round in West Cork, with Declan Boyle the favourite for victory. Rory Byrne will contest Group N in his Mitsubishi Evo X, while Raymond Johnston is entered in the historic class in his Escort.

As well as the dedicated rally competitors there is a celebrity element to this year’s rally. Nathan Carter is set to navigate in a course car ahead of the main field, while world famous actor Idris Elba, who played Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom, is to compete in a special ‘invitation’ rally on the Saturday as part of a new Discovery TV series where he pushes himself to the limit on a range of sporting challenges.

The Circuit of Ireland Rally action takes place across three days at Easter. Following the ‘shakedown’ and qualifying round in Holywood in the afternoon of Thursday 2nd April, thousands of fans are expected to flock to the ceremonial start of the rally at Belfast City Hall that evening.

Competitive rallying takes place on Friday 3rd April and Saturday 4th April, including visits to Newtownards, Downpatrick, Banbridge as well as Lisburn. The winner will be crowned at a ceremonial finish back in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter on the evening of Easter Saturday. The event service park will be located in the Titanic Quarter from Easter Thursday until Saturday.