Mondello awaits BTCC racers.

Irish race fans are in for a real treat this weekend as the Green Flag 2002 MSA British Touring Car Championship makes its one and only visit to the demanding Mondello Park Circuit, just outside Dublin.

Contenders in the hugely popular Green Flag BTCC will go head to head for overall honours around the twisty 2 1/4 mile track, each determined to make their mark on this high profile championship as it approaches the all-important half way point.

Most keen to impress the local crowd will be Irish drivers Alan Morrison (Killyleagh, Co Down) and Colin Turkington (Newry, Co Down).

Having spent the early part of the season developing the Civic Type-R for new team Honda Racing, Morrison and his team mate Andy Priaulx are beginning to mix it with the front runners on a regular basis. Two sixth position grid slots last time out at Silverstone for Morrison were translated into his best result of the season to-date, a fifth place in the frantic Sprint Race. Although ironically he has never raced at Mondello, this determined former Motocross champion is looking forward to the challenge of racing in front of his home crowd.

Said Morrison: "I'm really happy with the progress the team's made since the beginning of the season. We have really limited testing, so Andy and I are developing the Civic over the course of each race weekend - which makes our results so far all the more satisfying.

"It's going to be great to race in Ireland, although our lack of track time and any previous data is going to make it another tough weekend for Honda Racing. However, I have great faith in our technical team and I'll be giving it my best shot, as always!"

Turkington, who drives for the Team Atomic Kitten outfit, will also be giving it his all in pursuit of overall honours in the Independents' Cup. Re-introduced for this season, the Independents' Cup is awarded to the highest placed Touring car driver entered without manufacturer support. Despite not enjoying 'works' status, Team Atomic Kitten - which benefits from the active support of chart-topping girl band Atomic Kitten - fields two competitive MG ZS race cars for 20 year old Turkington and his team mate Gareth Howell. As the reigning Fiesta Champion, Turkington is no stranger to track success and has already shown good pace upon his graduation to the BTCC. If he can fend off the advances of the other Independent runners, in particular Barwell Motorsport's Aaron Slight, the former World Superbike star hitting top form at Silverstone three weeks ago, he will score some much valued championship points.

The intensely competitive nature of this year's BTCC means that there's a handful of drivers capable of lifting the silverware next weekend. MG Sport and Racing, who took its first win of the season last time out at Silverstone, will be keen to keep up the momentum and make inroads into Vauxhall's points haul. Vauxhall Motorsport, who currently heads the championship points table with James Thompson, will be hoping that the team has got to the bottom of team mate Yvan Muller's recent electrical dramas. The flamboyant Frenchman, who took two emphatic race wins at Mondello last year, is languishing down in third place
overall at the moment and will be looking for a change in fortune in pursuit of his debut BTCC title. Matt Neal, who drives for the sister Vauxhall team, Egg Sport, splits these two combatants in the points. Both Neal and his team mate, Paul O'Neill, have won a race this year - and, along with MG Sport and Racing, provide arguably the most serious threat to the works Vauxhall pairing of Thompson and Muller.

Thompson, Reid and Neal all carry significant success ballast into Mondello, following their podium results at Silverstone. New boys Team Halfords, Honda Racing and Team Petronas Syntium Proton will be keen to exploit any advantage possible with their Peugeot 406 Coup?s, Civic Type-Rs and Proton Impians respectively. Of these new teams, only Honda Racing has yet to secure a podium finish in its debut BTCC season - and local driver Alan Morrison will be hoping he's the one to break the team's duck this weekend.

On track rivalry in the Production Class will be just as intense as that played out in the main Touring category. Current points leader James Kaye has been the man to beat so far this season, chalking up three race wins in his Synchro Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R. However he hasn't had it all his own way, with Germany's Norman Simon thrusting his Edenbridge Racing-run BMW 320i up the sharp end on numerous occasions - along with Robert Collard in his self-run Renault Clio and the supremely consistent Spencer Marsh for Beacon Motorsport, who currently lies second overall. However, two drivers will be especially desperate to make their mark. Tech-speed Motorsport's Mark Fullalove, who regularly qualifies in the top three, will be chasing some better race day luck and Scot Gavin Pyper is back for GA Motorsport in the competitive Alfa 156, after missing the Silverstone rounds.

In addition to the BTCC, Irish race fans can expect to see some scintillating battles in the support race series. The Senior Formula Ford Zetec Championship and the fabulous Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge are joined at Mondello by Legends, Formula Ireland and the Dunlop RT2000 series.

Green Flag BTCC qualifying takes place at 14.15 on Saturday 22 June, with the Sprint Race scheduled for 12.15 on Sunday 23 and the Feature Race due to kick off at 15.30.