Fermoy is set to host two major motoring events in the coming weeks. First up is the opening round of Driftfest Masters on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.

This is a national championship which sees the Irish drift calendar opened up, with many drivers competing in multiple competitions for the first time in their career.

For the uninitiated, drifting is a motorsport using a particular driving technique to take corners in such a way that the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, i.e. that the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn. Drivers are judged according to the speed, angle and line taken through corners. It's considered to be the fastest growing sport, not just in Ireland, but in the world.

In Ireland the thrilling sport has legions of loyal fans and the event in Fermoy, which will be held at Corrin event centre, is expected to attract entrants from all over the country with their entourages as well as fans from across Ireland. A strong media core will also be in Fermoy to cover the event. It's expected to generate considerable spin-off benefit for the town.

Fermoy will open the Driftfest Masters 2013 and is one of six locations around the country staging a round. Everyone is welcome along to enjoy the thrills and excitement of this fast-paced sport. Corrin Mart has played host to rounds previously. It's considered by drivers to be an unforgiving circuit which will quickly sort out the serious contenders among the line-up of experienced and new drivers queuing up to kick off the 2013 season.

The second event is at the same venue in May when Corrin event centre plays host to the massively popular Cork Motorfest 2013 over the weekend of May 11 and 12. The main event here is a truck, car and bike show with a spectacular truck and car light show planned for Saturday evening. Imokilly Motor Club will be holding a two day auto-test competition over the weekend.

There will also be motorcycles on show and a whole host of the finest and cleanest trucks in Ireland. Driftfest will be there too, playing a major part in the drift display, wowing the crowds with their close range drifting in their high powered drift spec cars.

To top it all off there’s a strongman competition being held in association with the Irish Strength Association (ISA) and irishstrongman.com. This will be a strongman competition which is going to be spectacular to watch and is likely to be a major crowd-puller. Competitors recently participated in the Fermoy St Patrick's day parade, where they pulled a truck through the main street in Fermoy.

Other family oriented events, including a baby show and dog show, are also being held in conjunction with the festival. "It's designed to be the modern version of the old Cork Summer Show" organiser Robert Rohu, from Waterfall, says.

"Both the Driftfest Masters and the Motorfest are major events which will bring crowds into Fermoy. We expect to attract a large turnout from the town and environs too. As such these events should be very good for Fermoy", Robert said. "I'm very excited to have found a venue that works so well for us in Corrin and it's my plan to make the strongman competition a major annual event," he disclosed.

Fermoy Rowing Club will be running a raffle over the weekend of the Motorfest as a fundraiser for the club. Robert himself plans to donate the proceeds of the various different events, such as the baby show and dog show to Cork Penny Dinners.

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