Rally Ireland

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Venue and Routes announced for Rally Ireland
Rally Ireland has today announced the venue and routes for the Irish round of the World Rally Championship.

"The challenging tarmac stages for Rally Ireland pass through some of the most scenic landscape that the island of Ireland has to offer. Given the great array of international talent that will compete, I’m confident that the event will be a sporting triumph and great entertainment for committed rally fans and first time visitors alike," said Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue TD.

"This event will be great fun to watch. One of the key strengths of Rally Ireland’s bid in securing this Championship was the unique cross-border nature of it. We believe that this is the best location in the world for WRC and that Irish and international spectators alike will agree with that," he concluded.

Speaking at a simultaneous announcement at Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast, Minister at the Northern Ireland Office Paul Goggins MP said: "Having the opportunity to bring the WRC to a well-known venue such as Stormont means that thousands of spectators will get the opportunity for the first time ever to experience the thrills of this exciting sport.

"I’m sure that having the opening stage here will greatly increase the sports’ following in Northern Ireland. With many millions of people viewing the event in over 200 territories around the world, kicking off this world championship round at Stormont will be another wonder full opportunity to raise the profile of Northern Ireland internationally."

Rally Ireland will be the biggest sporting event on the island of Ireland in 2007 and could see up to 150,000 live spectators. The event has introduced a major carbon reduction initiative with the goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 50% this year. Rally Ireland is seeking to secure a long-term slot in the World Rally Championship calendar, and is confident that the support and enthusiasm of spectators and competitors alike will help them secure that objective.

Also attending the announcement were John Naylor, Chairman of Motorsport Ireland, the governing body of the sport, John Rafferty, Head of Product Marketing and Keelin O’Rourke, Sports Tourism Officer from Fáilte Ireland. Clerk of the Course Tom Walsh and Assistant Clerk of the Course Noel Clarke were on hand to show the route to the Minister and guests.

The event begins on Thursday 15 November with the Super Special Stage in the grounds of the Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast. This spectator-friendly event will see two cars at a time competing head to head on a specially designed loop of the Stormont grounds. Competition over the four days will also take in a route that covers seven more counties in the north-west of the island: Fermanagh, Tyrone, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Roscommon.

Rally Headquarters will be at The Clarion Hotel in Sligo and the Service Park, where all necessary mechanical work on competing vehicles is carried out, will be at Sligo Institute of Technology.

"The route of the event covers one quarter of the counties on the island of Ireland, north and south. That gives us a phenomenal opportunity to reach out to existing fans, but it will also encourage others to come out and see a rally for the first time in their lives, knowing that they’ll be watching the best drivers in the world," said Rally Ireland Co-Promoter Ronan Morgan.

Rally Ireland is the penultimate round of the World Rally Championships and will take place from 15-18 November.