Ireland hoping to land WRC stage

Ireland launched its bid to host a stage of the World Rally Championship today in what would become the largest annual sporting event held on the island if given the green light.

With a potential global television audience of hundreds of millions and 200,000 spectators travelling to see the race, organisers claim it could prove a major boost to the economy on both sides of the border.

Sports Minister John O’Donoghue said he was very confident of Ireland’s professional and infrastructural capacity to secure a round of the WRC, despite strong competition from countries such as Norway, Jordan, Portugal, Poland, South Africa and the Czech Republic.

“Ireland has a long history of rallying and now has the highest number of rally competitors per capita in the world,” he said.

“Rally Ireland believes that Ireland would be the ideal location for the WRC - with a professional event team, a low cost and accessible location, visually attractive countryside and the historical and current popularity of the sport in Ireland.”

Rally Ireland, a joint cross-border initiative of Failte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC), is seeking to host a round of the prestigious competition from 2007.

The WRC is one of the world’s most popular forms of motorsport with more than 11 million annual live spectators and an annual TV audience of more than 770 million.

A three-day pilot event, Rally Ireland 2005, will take place in the North West from October 14 to 16 as part of Ireland’s bid.

The 235km route of Rally Ireland 2005 will cross the North/South border on a number of occasions.

Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive of Failte Ireland, said the joint bid, if successful, will provide a unique opportunity to enhance the profile of Ireland as a holiday destination to a worldwide audience.

“We have already had considerable success in attracting high profile motor sports events to Ireland, and I am confident that the concerted professional campaign to bring a round of the World Rally Championship to Ireland will also be crowned with success,” he said.

Co-promoter Sean O’Connor said Rally Ireland 2005 will be broadcast in 61 countries this year.

“Foreign interest is high and we are pleased to confirm that Swedish WRC star, Daniel Carlsson, a current Peugeot works driver, and winner of Rally Portugal earlier this year will take part,” he said.

“Should our WRC bid be successful the event would be the single largest annual sporting event on the island attracting 200,000 spectators and 770 million TV viewers.”

Rally Ireland has commissioned a copy of Maurice Harron’s ‘Hands Across the Divide’ bronze statue to present to the winner of this year’s pilot event in Enniskillen/Sligo on October 15 and 16.

Rally Ireland 2005 will be followed by Rally Ireland 2006, which will be observed by the sport’s governing body, Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA). This will allow the FIA to consider Ireland’s bid for the WRC from 2007.