17 September 2002: Drogheda's Paul Dagg recorded his second Ford of Ireland Formula Ford title - last won in 1999 - at Mondello Park last Saturday with a fine performance, which netted him his third win of the season. In the 10th and final round on Sunday, Glanmire's Alan Dwyer took his fifth victory of the year to finish runner-up in the series.

However, it was Charlie Donnelly (Naas) who steered his Van Diemen RF00 to pole position for Saturday's penultimate counter, just a fraction of a second ahead of Dagg, while Dwyer and George McAlpin (Portrush) lined up on the second row.

Dagg got off to a good start in his HB Dennis-backed Mygale SJ00 ahead of Donnelly, McAlpin and Dwyer until Donnelly went off on the third lap. This left Dagg, McAlpin and Dwyer comfortably out front some distance clear of Limerick's Mark Sheahan, Derek Daly (Castleknock) and Mike Clyne (Galway). Having his first Formula Ford race, Colm Hynes (Cork), kept out of trouble at the back of the field.

Daly took Clyne for fifth and then found a way by Sheahan, who was not prepared to give up without a struggle, these two dicing for much of the race. As Dagg pulled away at the front, McAlpin and Dwyer were engaged in their own private battle for second, this continuing until the 11th lap when the suspension on Dwyer's Dwyer Engineering Van Diemen RF01 broke, sending Alan out of the race. His stricken car brought out the red flags and the result was declared with Dagg confirmed as the race winner. McAlpin took second from Daly, Sheahan, Clyne and Hynes.

Dwyer qualified best for Sunday's final round, heading the time sheets from Donnelly, McAlpin and Dagg. Alan made the best start to lead Donnelly, the Cork driver quickly pulling away with Charlie also driving clear of McAlpin and Dagg, who were locked together in what turned out to be a race-long combat.

With Dwyer and Donnelly sailing off into the distance, the feature of the race was the McAlpin/Dagg duel, Paul losing out at Hewlett Packard on the seventh lap and dropping back behind Daly. He re-passed Daly two laps later and reeled in McAlpin once again, the battle continuing for the remainder of the 18 laps.

Dagg tried every possible trick to pass the wily restaurateur but it wasn't until they thundered down the home straight that Paul managed to get a wheel in front of McAlpin's Mygale to claim third place behind Dwyer and Donnelly. Daly took fifth from Clyne and Alan Kelly (Ratoath), both some distance behind.

Dwyer's fifth victory in the championship gave him second place with 93 points behind Dagg (121), while Donnelly had to settle for third with two wins to his credit and 76 points. Out-going champion, McAlpin finished fourth with 72 ahead of Daly (56).