Final touches to the Seabiscuit Racing Twin cam for this weekends Rally New York. This will be the first outing this weekend after a long winter overhaul..

All geared up for Rally New York this weekend 7-8th April

Approximately 49 cars are expected to take the starter’s flag at Rally New York USA 2006 (Monticello, New York, April 7-8). The drivers and co-drivers will represent the United States, Canada, Europe and South America, including many of the front-runners in the Unites States Rally Championship. While it is not possible to predict who the top finishers will be, some of them are likely come from among the following:

David Anton (USA)/Robbie Durant (UK), Subaru Impreza WRX STi – This team was in the top five in last Fall’s International Rally New York 2005 until their car failed. Durant is a former British Junior Champion co-driver, and one of eight competitors selected for the MSA British Rally Academy which is aimed at Britain’s 17- to 25-year-old future stars.

Emilio Arce (Argentina)/Sara Gardescu (USA), Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS – Arce will be back to try to duplicate the stock class win (and perhaps better the fifth overall) that he achieved in International Rally New York ‘05.

Seamus Burke (Ireland)/(co-driver to be announced), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo – The Georgia-based Irish driver was runner up in the 2005 Eastern States Rally Championship, with wins in the Sandblast Rally (South Carolina) and Rally New York. He arrives here having just won the Sandblast for the fifth time in a row.

Eric Burmeister (USA)/David Shindle (USA), Mazda 3 – The Mazdaspeed team is a contender for the two-wheel-drive section of the rally and the U.S. Rally Championship.

Bruce Davis (USA)/Jimmy Brandt (USA), Dodge Neon SRT-4 – Davis won the national title in the Production GT class in 2004. Brandt has among the highest lifetime points totals for a co-driver.

Otis Dimiters (Latvia)/Alan Ockwell (Canada), Subaru Impreza WRX STi – Dimiters put his car into the lead early in International Rally New York ‘05, but then suffered an off-course excursion. This team could be on the podium at the finish this time.

Jeremy Drislane (USA)/Barry Goodman (USA), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo4 – They finished fourth in the Eastern States Rally Championship section of International Rally New York ’05, and also placed second in the 2006 Sandblast Rally. Drislane is the son of three-time Rally New York winner John Drislane.

Patrick Farrell (Ireland)/Bernard Farrell (Ireland), Subaru Impreza – Patrick Farrell finished second in last Spring’s Rally New York. This time he will be working with his brother Bernard, who has co-driven for several teams in the past.

Scott Gardner (USA)/Constantine Mantopoulos (Greece), Audi S2 Quattro – Despite a consistent performance in International Rally New York ‘05, an engine failure left this team disappointed. Mantopoulos is a former North American champion co-driver in his class, who also placed second overall in the Northeast series as a driver in ‘96.

Michael Hall (USA)/Dave Stockdill (USA), Mitsubishi Mighty Max pickup – This team is a favorite among the truck crowd, and always one of the best-placed two-wheel-drive vehicles. They won the M1 (modified) class in the Eastern States championship segment of International Rally New York ’05.

Matt Iorio (USA)/Ole Holter (USA), Subaru Impreza – They placed second in the 2005 U.S. Rally Championship, and were front-runners in International Rally New York until they went off the road.

Tom Lawless (Ireland)/(co-driver to be announced), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8 – Lawless was 2005 U.S. Rally Champion, with victories in International Rally New York, the Ramada Express Rally (Nevada), and the Cherokee Trails Rally (Tennessee). The Rally New York events are among his favorites, perhaps because they are the closest to his home in Yonkers, New York.

Mark Lawrence (UK)/Robert Maciejski (Poland), Volkswagen Golf – One of the top two-wheel-drive entries, and 2004 Eastern States Rally Champions in their class.

Patrick Lilly (Ireland)/(co-driver to be announced), Subaru Impreza WRX – A frequent top-ten finisher here, and third in the 2005 Eastern States Rally Championship.

Danny O’Brien (Ireland)/Stephen Duffy (Ireland), Subaru Impreza WRC STi – This team won the Eastern States Rally Championship in 2004 and 2005.

Auther: Rally New York Media

A rusty Kevin McBride takes Byron Polley out in the forth round.

"My timing was off a wee bit not having fought in 10 months
but this man was not going to hurt me. I’m just glad to be back in action
and fighting for Don King. Every fight I gain experience. I’m on the road
to winning a world title. I want the Russian giant Nicolai Valuev."
"I dedicate this fight to Charlie Ross, the Boston fight writer that died
this week that gave me the name Clones Colossus."

More later.....

Back in action, Kevin McBride pictured with his trainer

Pascal Collins [left] ready to get back in the ring on April 1st.

Cleveland Ohio, Saturday April 1, Kevin “The Clones Colossus” McBride will climb between the ropes and back into action again at the WOLSTEIN CENTER. This is McBride’s first showing in the ring since he silenced the boxing world with his stunning defeat of boxing legend “Iron Mike” Tyson in June of 2005. Kevin will fight as co feature to “Relentless” Lamon Brewster defending WBO World Heavyweight Champion; Lamon will meet SERGEI “The White Wolf” LIAKHOVICH. The Don King Productions-promoted event begins on Showtime @11 p.m. ET/PT

McBride 33-4-1 will fight Byron Polly 19-5-1 fighting out of St. Joseph Mo. in a 10 round match up. Check in Sunday for the result and all the craic..!

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declines to take stand on Senate immigration bill, while Senator John Kerry answers the multiple e-mail messages he has received.

"I'm not sufficiently aware of all the details of that bill to speak on that specific piece of legislation -- and I don't do that in my own state either," said Governor Romney.

[Below is text from an e-mail response from senator John Kerry [Pictured above]on the matter of the current immigration bill that has sparked heated debate on Capitol Hill and across the nation in recent days]

Thank you for contacting me to share your
views on our nation's immigration policy and
the upcoming debate on immigration reform. I
appreciate hearing from you.
There are many facets of our current
immigration system that are flawed and in
need of reform. It is estimated that there
are over 11 million undocumented workers in
the United States. We need a system that
will encourage these undocumented immigrants
to come forward, register, and be counted.
In addition, we need to provide a sufficient
number of work visas to ensure that immigrant
workers fill the needs of our workforce.
Immigrants who work hard, pay taxes, and play
by the rules should be allowed to participate
in a multi-year process to earn legal
residency.
At the same time, we must invest in the
personnel, technology, and communications
between agencies to protect our borders.
Securing the border is a critical piece to
solving the problem of illegal immigration in
this country, and must be part of any
comprehensive reform. However, it cannot be
a solution in and of itself. That is why I
support the Kennedy/McCain reform plan but
oppose the Sensenbrenner Bill, H.R. 4437.
Thank you, again, for sharing your concerns
with me. Please do not hesitate to contact
me on this or any other issue of concern to
you.

Sincerely,
John F. Kerry
United States Senator