Cash key to return of WRC’s Irish round

ALTHOUGH senior officials of Motorsport Ireland (MI) met with FIA vice-president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last week, a return for Rally Ireland as a round of the World Rally Championship is still based on the availability of finance.

Autosport magazine claim Ireland’s chances of returning to the World Rally Championship calendar have improved in the wake of a positive meeting between Ben Sulayem and the Sligo-based Senator, Marc MacSharry. However, this comes against the backdrop of documents filed with the Companies Office last month in respect of WRC Promotions, who ran Rally Ireland in 2009.

In the submission, the directors of WRC Promotions, that includes MI president, Joe Corcoran, Austin Fraser, Ronnie Trouton and John Naylor, state: “The possibility of returning Rally Ireland to its former status as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship now appears remote. Consequently the directors will consider what benefits exist now or in the future by continuing to trade.