The 2008 Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship kicks off this Saturday at Co.Down's Kirkistown Race Circuit with the now traditional season opener, the Eurocables Stages Rally!

It marks the 11th year that Eurocables, a Belfast based electronic component distribution company, has been associated with the opening round of Northern Ireland's prestigious rally series. To celebrate the occasion, Managing Director Shane Braniff will be calling the pace notes for number two seed, Denis Biggerstaff.

Hot off the back of winning the New Year Stages Rally, which was also based at Kirkistown Race Circuit, Biggerstaff is hoping to continue that success at this weekend's event. But he will have more opposition to face this time, including reigning Pacenotes champion, Glenn Allen. The Cookstown pilot returns to the series to defend the title in his Toyota Corolla WRC, and starts the event with number one on his door. He finished second at the Eurocables Stages just 12 months ago after a mammoth battle with four other crews, and is really fired up to go one better this year. 

Seeded at number three, Connor McCloskey could also be one to watch in his newly acquired Ford Focus WRC. It's the ex-Stephen Moore Southern Forestry championship winning car, and young Connor debuted his new mount at January's New Year Stages Rally. There he set a number of fastest times en route to finishing third overall, and he could become a real threat for this year's title. Also thrown into the mix, Sean Devine returns to action in his Subaru Impreza WRC, as does Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston.

 Building contractor George Robinson, who finished second at the New Year Stages, is another man with a Subaru at his disposal, as is Michael McColgan. Among the Sunoco Fuels Group N men, Eoin McErlean and Donard McCann return to the fray with their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, while Ian Cochrane and David Vance will start just behind their Group N rivals. Brothers Paul and Peter Ward are also in the mix with their Impreza, while John Walker also returns with Trevor Ferguson completing the top five production category seeds.

The Superdrive two wheel drive field contains a mouth watering array of pristine machinery, including former category winner, Wesley Patterson. He has Terence Teggart calling the notes, and they will face competition from popular Scottish visitors, Calum and Iain Duffy. The Nevin family will also be in the mix with Gareth and Jonathan entered in their Mark 2 Escort, while Paul Barrett and Dermot Colgan are set to put their unique rear wheel drive Ford Focus through its paces. 

With more than 100 crews entered for this Saturday's rally, plenty of thrills and spills are guaranteed at the Kirkistown venue. The first car will leave the start line shortly after 9am, and all crews will face six stages throughout the day. More information can be obtained from the official Pacenotes championship website at www.nirally.com.