The 145 drivers and stand-bys will by now be getting to grips to what exactly the testing 9.6 mile circuit of the Lighthouse Single Stage Rally will have in store for them.

Devised by Stage Commander Joe Dwyer, the circuit starts at Ladywell Bridge and passes through Haggard, Lewistown, Knockaduff, Clonard, Kilbride, Battlestown, Ballygow and Conna Crossroads before finishing in Conna.

The first section of the course will test drivers to the limit, and once the winding stretches have been negotiated, the competitors will then face a super fast stretch all the way back to Fethard where they will touch speeds of over one hundred miles per hour.

There will be one practice run over the circuit at 11am, followed by three timed runs at 1:20, 3:30 and 5:20, the final run taking place in the dark.

Top drivers should cover the course inside ten minutes.

The presenter of RTE's Sunday Game and rallying enthusiast Michael Lyster is one of the many drivers making their way to Fethard on Sunday.

As the 001 driver, he will be first to drive the course, and travelling at eighty per cent of race speed, he will ensure that it is clear and safe for racing.

The Hotel Naomh Seosamh will be used as the rally headquarters while St Mogues GAA pitch and Fethard Main Street will serve as service rally centres, with over six hundred people working on the rally on race day.