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Ireland wins place in World Rally Championship |
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Wednesday, 05 July 2006 |
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is coming to Ireland for the first time ever with the announcement today in Paris that Rally Ireland has successfully secured a place in the WRC calendar from the 2007/2008 season.
The first Rally Ireland WRC will take place from November 18th-20th 2007 and is set to become the largest sporting initiative ever undertaken on the island of Ireland.
Max Mosley, president of motorsport’s world governing body the Féderation International de l’Automobile (FIA) was full of praise for
the Irish event: “We are pleased to welcome Ireland to the FIA World
Rally Championship. Your team worked hard in their bid and set very
high standards. Rally Ireland will bring many new and unique features
to the championship including being the first round to run competitive
stages cross border.”
Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Events Company,
Rally Ireland’s entry into the WRC has been the culmination of 18
months work by the team, and their sponsors.
Speaking of the success, Minister of Arts, Sport & Tourism, John
O’Donoghue TD said: “This is a wonderful success for Irish motorsport
and Irish sport in general and all the more so as it is a cross-border
initiative. The WRC has an annual TV viewership of more than 800
million, so the images of Ireland shown abroad will be of great benefit
to the tourism industry.”
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. Peter Hain MP was
similarly delighted with the impact that the WRC will make: ‘As a
motorsport fan, I am delighted with this decision made by Max Mosley
and the FIA. Having seen at close hand the impact that Rally Ireland
has made to date, I am excited by what hosting a full WRC round will be
able to contribute to the economy and the development of social
cohesion.”
Research commissioned by Rally Ireland in 2006 found that the WRC could
be worth more than EUR 46 million each year, generated from spend by
spectators, as well as the international media coverage from the event.
The WRC is run on all types of surfaces - snow, gravel, tarmac and ice.
The season has 16 rounds and begins with the historic Monte Carlo
rally. The championship visits countries as diverse as Argentina, New
Zealand, Japan and Sweden. The current world champion is Frenchman
Sebastien Loeb who drives a Citroen Xsara. The WRC has one of the
fastest growing TV audiences, with an annual viewership of more than
800 million in almost 200 countries.
Rally Ireland was founded by Ronan Morgan and Seán O’Connor, who have
almost 35 years WRC experience between them. Dubliner Ronan Morgan, a
former championship-winning co-driver rallied for more than 20 years,
and was the event Director of Wales Rally GB before starting the Irish
bid. Wicklow-based Seán O’Connor has worked since 1991 in the World
Championship as a sponsorship and marketing consultant and has managed
a number of top International drivers.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 January 2007 )
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