The Ford Mondeo has been voted Continental Irish Car of the Year 2016 by the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association. The announcement of the 39th Irish Car of the Year Award was made at an awards ceremony in Dublin today. The winning car was revealed by Rosemary Smith, to mark the 50th anniversary of her victory in the Tulip Rally in April 1965. She is the only woman to have won the rally. The overall results, with weighted scores, were as follows: 1. Ford Mondeo 148 points 2. Volvo XC90 147 points 3. Mercedes Benz GLE 144 points 4. Kia Sorento 144 points 5. Skoda Superb 140 points The Irish Motoring Writers’ Association judges awarded points on the basis of criteria ranging from design, comfort, safety, economy, handling and performance as well as driver satisfaction, value for money and technical innovation, with a maximum of 20 points under each heading. John Galvin, Chairman of the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association, commented: “The …

Episode two of the RTÉ 1 series on local newspapers will air this Thursday at 7.00pm. Over six weeks, the series follows the fortunes of three local newspapers, The Clare Champion, The Mayo News and The Munster Express. This episode sees Daisy, the ‘Champion mascot, going to Barna to get a blueberry facial and mud bath at Bubbles and Barks Dog Spa, before checking in to review The Twelve Hotel as a dog-friendly hotel. Check out the trailer below and don’t forget to tune in.

It’s unusual to see a motoring story dominating the headlines, and when it happens, it’s usually bad news. The Volkwsagen emissions debacle is without question one of the biggest stories of the year and already it has caused a lot of grief, with the company’s stock price having taken an enormous hit. That’s not the end of the story though – this one will run and run and may become even bigger as we understand more about it. But what did happen exactly? To get some background, members of the Irish Motoring Writers Association went to DIT in Bolton Street earlier this week to learn about the technologies behind emissions systems and get a feel for what had happened in America. It may come as a surprise to most, but the initial tests marking the start of this saga took place in 2014. An independent lab wanted to demonstrate the cleanliness of modern diesel engines so they carried out real …

Our special 24 page Champion Motoring supplement is online now. All the news from Frankfurt Motor Show. Sneak preview of the all-new Mazda MX-5. New Mercedes GLC. And much more… Read it here.

It’s been a while since I took over Bev’s column to tell you of my latest travels. I’m only thrilled this time as I’m going back to one of my favourite hotels, The Twelve, in Barna. Last Christmas, my humans took a photo of me wearing my Santa hat while posing on a copy of The Clare Champion and entered it in The Twelve’s Christmas competition. Despite the stiff opposition, I won! The prize was a night at the hotel with dinner in The West restaurant. It’s a terrible state of affairs though that I’m not allowed in the restaurant, even though I’m a Westie. Maybe I’ll get a little doggie bag. They really welcome dogs at The Twelve but I’ve heard they’ve upped their game with a new Dog Concierge service. It sounds wonderful and I had to try it out. As an added bonus, would you believe that RTÉ are sending a film crew along to record my …

Don’t forget, Niamh’s reveal of her full makeover will be in this week’s Champion. On sale this Thursday.   Tuesday April 21st Breakfast 7:15 Two slices of Be Good bread with a banana and a green tea. Mid morning 10:00 A green tea and a yoghurt. Lunch 12:45 A tuna wrap with a side salad and an orange with a glass of water. Dinner 17:30 Home made chicken curry with loads of vegetables and wholemeal rice and a pint of water. Snack 20:00 A green tea and a Weightwatchers bar. Wednesday March 22nd Breakfast 7:15 Two crumpets with a teaspoon of Weightwatchers jam and a green tea. Mid morning 12:00 A coffee and two Weightwatchers ginger cookies. Lunch 14:00 A chicken salad wrap and side salad with a glass of water. Dinner 18:00 A baked potato with tuna and corn with side salad and a pint of water. Snack 20:00 A green tea. Thursday April 23rd Breakfast 7:15 Two poached …

Tuesday April 14th Breakfast 7:15 30g of porridge with skimmed milk and water with a green tea. Mid morning 10:30 An orange and a few grapes with a glass of water. Lunch 13:00 Two slices of Be Good bread toasted with lettuce, onion, tomato and a slice of ham with a glass of water. Dinner 17:30 A scoop of mash with vegetables and half a breast of chicken with a pint of water. Snack 20:00 A green tea with a yoghurt. Wednesday April 15th Breakfast 7:15 Two crumpets with a teaspoon of Weightwatchers jam and a green tea. Mid morning 12:00 A coffee and a Weightwatchers cookie. Lunch 14:00 A wrap with chicken and salad and a side salad with a diet coke. Dinner 18:00 A bowl of home made vegetable soup with two slices of porridge bread and a glass of water. Snack 20:00 A green tea and a Weightwatchers bar. Thursday April 16th Breakfast 7:15 Two poached eggs …

Four time Irish Hillclimb champion, Simon McKinley, from Meath, has been killed after an accident during the Clare Motor Club’s Hillclimb at Scalp Hill, near Carron. The accident happened towards the end of the event, after all competitors had successfully completed the course a number of times throughout the day. The event at Carron was the first round of the 2015 Hillclimb Championship. Initial reports suggest that McKinley’s car, a Lant RT4, left the road at a tricky left-right combination and rolled several times. An investigation into the accident will be carried out. Simon McKinley is survived by his wife, Deirdre, who also competes in Hillclimbs and their year old son, Rory. Tomorrow’s hillclimb at Ballyalban has been cancelled as a mark of respect.