World Rally Championship 'worth €46m' to Ireland

The economic impact of the World Rally Championship in the north west of the country is estimated at €46m, according to research by the University of Ulster.

The event, which is the 15th round of the 2007 F.I.A World Rally Championships, will take place between November 15 and 18. The route includes eight counties - Antrim, Sligo, Donegal, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Cavan and Roscommon. The rally will conclude on Sunday with a special stage at Mullaghmore, Co.Sligo.

The University of Ulster is also to head a group of leading universities across the world to work on a major research project examining the socio-economic impact of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

The new initiative is based on the 16 rounds of the WRC, which is estimated to be collectively worth €736m, is a unique opportunity for the University of Ulster and Northern Ireland to show its leadership position in sports science by heading the research

The project will involve five universities covering World Rally Championship events in Finland, New Zealand, Spain, Germany and Ireland. The lead institution in the project is the University of Ulster (Ireland), which will work closely with associates at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand) and the University of Zweibrücken (Germany).