Just heard on the news over here that there will be a round of the WRC held in Ireland sometime in November 2007.

I must call McGyver to put in an advance order for some soup & sandwiches!

Oh yeah. That should be class:)

16-18 November 2007

Its good news alright, hopefully the stages will be better than this years

@ RallyInfo - I thought I might have spotted your car in Donegal, on the side of the Letterkenny - Stranorla road....was it you ?

A fantastic result for the whole team that have been working hard to get a WRC round.

Coupled with the rule changes coming in over the next few years i.e. remote servicing, banning of mouse tryes and insisting cars have 4 wheels for liason sections things could be looking up for the WRC.

Well deserved for a country that loves its rallying. Also good to see that its all come about as all the different politicians have united behind it ... unfortuanately not something that would happen in England (or Wales now)

16-18 November 2007

a ha. is this a date for a meet?

Any chance of the UK boys coming over for a visit ?

I think there is a fairly high likelyhood of that.

Recent years at the British round has seen spectators taken further and further away from the action and placed in special taped off pens, often 30 metres or more from the roads. Can any of you 'Irish boys' give us an idea what the spectating is/will be like on an Irish rally? I don't want to endanger my life or anything like that, I just want to get nearer to the cars, like in the olden days!

Its good news alright' date=' hopefully the stages will be better than this years

@ RallyInfo - I thought I might have spotted your car in Donegal, on the side of the Letterkenny - Stranorla road....was it you ?[/quote']

I'm not too sure where that is...but it might well have been me!

I'm not too sure where that is...but it might well have been me!

Out of Letterkenny service area, turn right. Up to the roundabout, right again. On the way up the hill on the right.

Glad to see that Ireland got the bid, now i need to accidently book time off and hotel so that i can supprise the girlfriend

Glad to see that Ireland got the bid, now i need to accidently book time off and hotel so that i can supprise the girlfriend

I'd say you'd want to book early to avoid dissappointment, the 1st Irish WRC event will be popular.

Btw If your over give us a shout ...Skoda meet

Oh i know it will be popular for sure the national irish rallying is always packed out and the WRC will be mental

If i can scive at work today ill be looking. Where would be a good base for the whole weekend anyone as i dont really know Ireland?

Cheers

Out of Letterkenny service area, turn right. Up to the roundabout, right again. On the way up the hill on the right.

Ah yes, sounds like it was sitting at Hillcrest B&B? If so, that was me alright I feel famous now!

Oh i know it will be popular for sure the national irish rallying is always packed out and the WRC will be mental

If i can scive at work today ill be looking. Where would be a good base for the whole weekend anyone as i dont really know Ireland?

Cheers

Last year HQ was Sligo (I think). The stages were based between Sligo and Fermanagh.

Recent years at the British round has seen spectators taken further and further away from the action and placed in special taped off pens, often 30 metres or more from the roads. Can any of you 'Irish boys' give us an idea what the spectating is/will be like on an Irish rally? I don't want to endanger my life or anything like that, I just want to get nearer to the cars, like in the olden days!

Why not volunteer to marshal then?

Why not volunteer to marshal then?

I have considered this, but I take loads of photos when I'm at rallies, I don't think spectators would appreciate a marshall sat behind his tripod though, I know I wouldn't!

Fair comment.

Spectator pens have only come into being as a way to pay for events.

Recent years at the British round has seen spectators taken further and further away from the action and placed in special taped off pens, often 30 metres or more from the roads. Can any of you 'Irish boys' give us an idea what the spectating is/will be like on an Irish rally? I don't want to endanger my life or anything like that, I just want to get nearer to the cars, like in the olden days!

Spectating at an Irish Rally.... hmm..... Find a tree. Climb it.

It does depend on whereabouts on a stage you go, but generally I've nearly been able to touch the cars as they fly by.

Spectating at an Irish Rally.... hmm..... Find a tree. Climb it.

It does depend on whereabouts on a stage you go' date=' but generally I've nearly been able to touch the cars as they fly by.[/quote']

That is exactly what I wanted to hear, cheers!

As BPM says, but no risks are taken. If your in a stupid spot you'll be moved, but most people have enough cop on. The problem with Ireland having a WRC round will be the number of people, it'll be fun !

FYI

Ireland wins place in World Rally Championship

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is coming to Ireland for the first time ever with the announcement today in Paris that Rally Ireland has successfully secured a place in the WRC calendar from the 2007/2008 season.

The first Rally Ireland WRC will take place from November 18th - 20th 2007, and is set to become the largest sporting initiative ever undertaken on the island of Ireland.

Max Mosley, president of motorsport’s world governing body the Féderation International de l’Automobile (FIA) was full of praise for the Irish event: “We are pleased to welcome Ireland to the FIA World Rally Championship. Your team worked hard in their bid and set very high standards. Rally Ireland will bring many new and unique features to the championship including being the first round to run competitive stages cross border.”

Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Events Company, Rally Ireland’s entry into the WRC has been the culmination of 18 months work by the team, and their sponsors.

Speaking of the success, Minister of Arts, Sport & Tourism, John O’Donoghue TD said: “This is a wonderful success for Irish motorsport and Irish sport in general and all the more so as it is a cross-border initiative. The WRC has an annual TV viewership of more than 800 million, so the images of Ireland shown abroad will be of great benefit to the tourism industry.”

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. Peter Hain MP was similarly delighted with the impact that the WRC will make: ‘As a motorsport fan, I am delighted with this decision made by Max Mosley and the FIA. Having seen at close hand the impact that Rally Ireland has made to date, I am excited by what hosting a full WRC round will be able to contribute to the economy and the development of social cohesion.”

Research commissioned by Rally Ireland in 2006 found that the WRC could be worth more than €46 million each year, generated from spend by spectators, as well as the international media coverage from the event.

The WRC is run on all types of surfaces - snow, gravel, tarmac and ice. The season has 16 rounds and begins with the historic Monte Carlo rally. The championship visits countries as diverse as Argentina, New Zealand, Japan and Sweden. The current world champion is Frenchman Sebastien Loeb who drives a Citroen Xsara. The WRC has one of the fastest growing TV audiences, with an annual viewership of more than 800 million in almost 200 countries.

Rally Ireland was founded by Ronan Morgan and Seán O’Connor, who have almost 35 years WRC experience between them. Dubliner Ronan Morgan, a former championship-winning co-driver rallied for more than 20 years, and was the event Director of Wales Rally GB before starting the Irish bid. Wicklow-based Seán O’Connor has worked since 1991 in the World Championship as a sponsorship and marketing consultant and has managed a number of top International drivers.

Rally Ireland is a joint initiative of Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) and is supported by both the Irish and British governments.

Rally Ireland Offical Website - www.rallyireland.org

I read in Autosport this week that there is talk of selection coming back to the WRC. Think the last time we say this we 1993. It means that the teams pick which 10 rallies they want to enter in. it means if this goes through that not all the big boys will come to Ireland. Maybe none will come seeing as its a grenn event and they have not set up data.

:eek: This could be very bad

Not sure when we will know for sure.