Ireland misses out in new rally rotation policy

Ireland and the UK will drop off the world championship calendar in 2010 after the sport’s governing body confirmed a new rotation policy.

Sat, 08 Dec, 2007 - 12:13

Ireland and the UK will drop off the world championship calendar in 2010 after the sport’s governing body confirmed a new rotation policy.

The new system has been introduced by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council who confirmed events would be alternated to give new countries the chance to stage a world rally.

The famous Monte Carlo rally, the usual curtain-raiser to the series, will miss out in 2009 when the first round will be staged in Ireland. The British round will close the series in October.

Ireland and the UK will both miss out in 2010 when Monte Carlo, which has only been off the calendar in two years – 1974 and 1996 – since 1949, returns to the schedule.

The calendar has also been slimmed down for 2009 and 2010 with 12 events, compared to 16 rounds this year and 15 in 2008.

2009 World Rally calendar:

Ireland, Feb 1;

Norway, Feb 15;

Cyprus, Mar 15;

Portugal, Apr 5;

Argentina, Apr 26;

Italy, May 24;

Greece, Jun 14;

Poland, Jun 28;

Finland, Aug 2;

Australia, Sep 6;