Cash shortfall ends 2013 Circuit of Ireland

Next year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally has been dropped from the new-look European Rally Championship (ERC) due to a lack of funding.

The decision was taken by rally director Bobby Willis after the Ulsterman came agonisingly close to securing the funding that would have guaranteed its inclusion as the third round of the ERC.

However, the deal fell through only hours before the IRC awards presentation in Paris on Thursday evening.