Dick was a great supporter of the event, and was a much-loved and heavily-active member of the Wexford rally scene, who sadly lost his life in Easter’s Hillclimb event in Inistioge.

As he is the only club member to lose his life as a result of the sport he adored so much, a unanimous club vote decided to rename the annual two-day rally in his honour, and what a battle should ensue to see who becomes the first driver to win the event under its new title.

The first two-day and first open event to take place in Wexford since Eamonn Boland recorded his four-in-a-row in September 2000 sees a strong field seeking to remove the crown from the Wexfordman’s head Boland himself is vying to keep it there.

Within days of regulations being issued, the rally immediately became fully subscribed, with every single position on the 190-strong start and reserve list immediately filled.

Wexford’s top driver Boland is top seed for the 2002 running of the event, sponsored for the third consecutive year by Crosbie Cedars Hotel, Rosslare.

The four times winner, partnered by Damien Morrissey in his S7 Subaru World Rally Car, is aiming to join Stephen Murphy in the record books as a five-times Wexford champion.

Other high-seeded front-runners see British drivers coming to the fore in the first Wexford rally open to international fields in two years.

Hereford's John Price, former champion Pete Doughty of Nottingham, Steve Hendy from Dorset and Welshman Bob Fowden head the overseas challenge, with Tom Holton, Aaron McHale, Kieran Molloy and Willie Carroll leading the rest of the home challenge.

Price, partnered by wife Caroline, as always will be one to watch.

The leader of both the Get Connected Championship and the UK Tarmacadam Championship, Price has steered his Metro to a number of notable wins this year, particularly in the Welsh-based Tour of Eppynt, the Harry Flanders Rally (also in Eppynt) and the Promenade Stages in Wallasey.

He’s also emerged as leading preparer of cars, inspiring five victories for other drivers so far this year.

Boland himself has enjoyed quite a year, and will be difficult to beat on roads that he loves.

His four previous traversals of the county have on each occasion resulted in victory.

His most facile win was the most recent of the four with the withdrawal of Michael Barrable the Thursday before the 2000 event, it left Price and Melvyn Evans as the only serious contenders for Boland's crown.

Even then, those two rivals for the title dealt the Wexfordman a huge favour - both by developing mechanical problems on the very first stage.

From then on, despite the best efforts of English raiders Steve Fleck and Jon Mercer and Armagh's David Armstrong, Boland gained an advantage on average of twelve seconds every stage.

Among his more impressive performances this year were third spots in both the Circuit of Ireland and Jim Clark Rally.

Jimmy Lambert's 17th-seeded Escort will also be much-viewed, as the Tipperary man aims to add the Dick Bailey crown to his success in Wexford last Christmas.

The affable Ardfinnan driver finally rewrote the record books by storming to victory in the December running of the Crosbie Cedars Hotel Wexford Single Stage Rally by 14 seconds - his first ever win in a Slaneyside event after many years of trying.

Gorey's David James finished fourteen seconds down, only to re-emerge in the following June’s Fethard Rally in the best possible style, having a 23-second margin to spare over Tipperary's David Percy.

James, partnered by trusted sidekick Ron Guha, produced the two fastest times of the day on stages one and two, and was uncatchable from there.

Also watch out for an army of drivers from Wexford across virtually every class.

Speedsters such as Tomás O’Rourke, James M Stafford, Sean Gaul, Mark Kennedy, Graham Scallan, Martin McGrath, Willie Whitty and David Dunne will create huge local interest among the many thousands of rally fans who will line the course.

All of this adds to the tremendous history of the event, going back to when Billy Coleman and Dick O'Brien in their little blue Renault Alpine won the first Wexford Rally, after a fierce battle with the Cullen brothers, Des and Jim, in the Mini Cooper S.

The Cullens led for most of the event but Coleman overhauled them on the last three stages to win.

The "Wexford" proved a breeding ground for most of the country's leading rally drivers, with Coleman, Ronnie McCarthy, Ger Buckley and Jimmy Stewart all competing throughout the seventies, with Austin McHale a three-time winner in 1982, 1983 and 1988, the late Frank Meagher took the honours in 1985 and 87, with another sadly-departed great Bertie Fisher a winner in 1981.

As for this year’s event, Saturday will feature eight stages in two loops of four around Ballycullane, Dunmain, Aughlare and Oakland.

The action starts at 9:15 with the cars leaving Parc Ferme Special Stage 1 begins at 10:18.

After the second service halt, at the end of the first day, the cars and crews will head back to Parc Ferme in Rosslare around 5:00.

The second day's racing will see the cars head into the last eight stages around 11:30, a loop of four stages repeated, in Mayglass, Knocktown, Ballymitty and Forth Mountain.

The champagne will be cracked open at Parc Ferme outside the Crosbie Cedars around 6:00, and who’s to say it won’t be another local winner?