Rally Ireland 2007 - Voted 2nd best WRC round.

[Denn Forever]

Just noticed this in the paper.  Pretty good on our first attempt, only beaten by Finland, who have been doing this for ages!  Well done everyone.

[gerry]

Rally Ireland which made its inaugural debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) last November has been ranked second best overall in the 2007 series by the FIA, the Paris-based world governing body of the sport. Finland was ranked first overall ahead of Ireland, in the 16-round championship.

"This is a massive endorsement of Rally Ireland and a huge boost for the organising team who worked so hard to put on a world class event," said Eddie Jordan, Chairman of Rally Ireland.  "It is very encouraging given that this was our first event compared to the Finns who has been running their event for almost sixty years ''

The scoring system which was implemented over all 16 rounds of the series covered key areas of the event organisation including, technical, media and safety. "We had three thousand motorsport volunteers working on this event and they are the real heroes of this great result," added Jordan.

The event featured 20 special stages covering 350kms, primarily run in the North-West, taking in counties, Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo and Tyrone. It started in Belfast with a Super Special Stage in the grounds of Stormont and was Ireland's largest international sporting event in 2007, attracting almost 250,000 spectators.

Recent socio-economic research undertaken by the University of Ulster found that Rally Ireland contributed in the region of € 48 million to the local economy in the North-West, excluding the value of the TV, broadcast in over 180 countries.

The Failte Ireland and Sport NI supported event has been selected to host the opening round the 2009 WRC series, in January 2009. Chairman Eddie Jordan stated that the plan is to target an improved event in all areas, including value to the economy and entertainment of the fans. "Our aim is to be the best," said Jordon.



a big well done and heres to 2009

[give her dixie]

It was a fantastic event, and very well managed. It had a larger television audience than the Ryder Cup, and showcased some of our fantastic drivers, organisation, and of course, our beautiful scenery.
Well done to all involved, and next year, sure it can be number 1..................

[Star Spangler]

Brilliant result.  Obviously the key was having Tyrone men doing most of the planning. 

[Evil Genius]

The Failte Ireland and Sport NI supported event has been selected to host the opening round the 2009 WRC series, in January 2009.

In January? Here's my entry for the Fermanagh Stages:



Though I hope the stewarding is tight around the more congested sections: