The Circuit of Ireland International Rally is an annual
automobile rally, which was first held in 1931 making it the third oldest rally in the world. The most recent event was held in 2016.
''The Circuit'', as it is colloquially known, is organised by the Ulster Automobile Club and is traditionally held over the
Easter holiday weekend. It normally starts and finishes in
Northern Ireland, although over time the lengthy route of the event has typically included large segments in the
Republic of Ireland as well. Most of the event's special stages are laid out on paved public roads that are closed to other traffic.
History
Early Years
The rally originated in 1931 as the ''Ulster Motor Rally''. It was run from multiple starting points, in a manner similar to the
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
. After several years in this format, it transitioned into a 1089-mile circuit, essentially following the Irish coastline and starting and finishing in
Bangor, County Down
Bangor ( ; ) is a city and seaside resort in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to which it is linked ...
. The Circuit was suspended during World War II (1939–1945), and again in 1948 due to fuel shortages. Further cancellations occurred in 1957, 1972, 2001 and 2007.
2007-2009
The 2007 Circuit of Ireland was cancelled as a result of continuing disputes between the organisers, the event operating company, and the sponsors. It was replaced by a series of smaller Easter holiday events arranged by the Ulster Automobile Club. These included the ''Easter International Rally'' (or, ''Easter Stages Rally''), which was run over 12 special stages in
Londonderry,
Tyrone, and
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
.
The Circuit restarted again on the Easter weekend (21–23 March) in 2008. Twenty-eight teams competed on twenty special stages, with fourteen teams finishing. The overall winner was Eamonn Boland in a
Subaru Impreza S12B.
The 2009 event was run over the weekend of 11–12 April, starting in the town of
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of ...
, County Down and finishing after 14 special stages in
Dundalk. The overall winner was
Eugene Donnelly in a
Škoda Fabia WRC
The Škoda Fabia WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Škoda Motorsport by Škoda Auto in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Škoda Fabia road car, and was debuted at the 2003 Rally Deutschland. The Škoda Fabia R5, R5 version ...
.
2010-2013
In 2010, the event was awarded
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-sanctioned rallying series organised by SRW Events and Eurosport, Eurosport Events, and aimed to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers ...
Supporter Event status. The event was run over the weekend 3–4 April and was based in
Newry, Northern Ireland. There was a total of 15 stages including a night stage. The event counted as a round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Derek McGarrity and co-driver James McKee won the rally in their
Subaru Impreza S12B. Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy (
Ford Focus RS WRC
The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford Europe and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for ''Rallye Sport ...
) and Alastair Fisher/Marshall Clarke (
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) finished second and third respectively.
The
2012 Circuit of Ireland event hosted round three of the
2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge., as well as
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and
Northern Ireland Rally Championship stages.
In December 2012, it was announced that the 2013 rally will be cancelled due to a lack of funds, but was subsequently reinstated at a reduced scale. In the end, the event was cancelled due to bad weather.
2014-2016
Having resolved the issues the previous year, the
2014 Circuit of Ireland event rejoined the
European Rally Championship for the first time since 1991. It consisted of 18 special stages covering a total of 230 km in 2 days, starting in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
. Finnish driver
Esapekka Lappi dominated the (
European Rally Championship) ahead of 2nd place
Sepp Wiegand
Sepp Wiegand (born January 9, 1991, in Zwönitz) is a German rally driver. He competed in most events of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-sanctio ...
from Germany, making it a
Skoda
Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to:
Czech brands and enterprises
* Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav
** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respon ...
1–2. He won by 1 minute and 50 seconds. Irishman Robert Barrable finished 3rd in their
Ford Fiesta R5
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
.
Declan Boyle won the Circuit of Ireland National Rally in his
Subaru Impreza S12B WRC.
Teenage British driver
Chris Ingram lead the ERC Junior Championship but crashed out handing the win to Czech driver
Jan Černý
Jan Černý (4 March 1874, in Uherský Ostroh, Moravia, Austria-Hungary – 10 April 1959, in Uherský Ostroh, Czechoslovakia) was a Czechoslovak civil servant and politician. He was the prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1921 and in ...
. Ingram still became the youngest winner of the
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007) was a Scottish rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver and the youngest person to win the World Rally Championship ...
'Flat Out' Award, handed to him by local hero
Kris Meeke
Kris Meeke (born 2 July 1979) is a Northern Irish professional rally driver, best known for competing in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). He was the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. His co-driver is Seb Marshall, also ...
.
The 2015 event hosted
European Rally Championship and
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship rounds.
The
2016 Circuit of Ireland event hosted
European Rally Championship,
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, as well as
British Rally Championship
The British Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the United Kingdom. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) since 1999. MSA has opted not to run the series in 2015, in ...
rounds.
2017-2019
The 2017 event was cancelled due to funding issues, casting doubt on the event's future altogether. For the following two years attempts to resurrect the event were unfruitful.
2020-2021
After 3-year break, the rally was finally about to return to the
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship calendar in tandem with
Easter Stages Rally. The event, managed by Event Director Graeme Stewart and Clerk of the Course Nigel Hughes, was planned to consist of 18 Special Stages. Overall distance of the event was going to be , of which in special stages. The number of competitors was limited to 100, the competitor entry fee was . The event was also to host
European Rally Trophy series event FIA ERT Celtic Rally Trophy.
On 13 March the event was postponed in the light of the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.
On 20 March,
Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events are suspended until 1 June 2020. On 28 April the Tarmac Rally Organisers' Association announced that the
2020 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is cancelled. The Circuit of Ireland event could still go ahead anyway, and the organisers -
Ulster Automobile Club - promptly stated that the event is postponed, rather than cancelled, and have secured a date in November. However, on 25 June 2020 they finally announced that in the interests of public health and safety the event is cancelled.
2021 event was also cancelled due to ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.
2022
After five years of absence, ''the Circuit'' returned to the 2022 racing calendar on Easter weekend. Officially called Wastewater Solutions Circuit of Ireland Rally 2022 was hosted by
Ulster Automobile Club and promoted by the Easter Stages Ltd. The two day, 192.68 competitive kilometres event ran over 12 stages in Mid and East Antrim, with event headquarters in the Livestock Market in
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.
The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I ...
. The Circuit of Ireland International Rally was the first round of the FIA Celtic Rally Trophy and well as the third round of the
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Winners
Multiple winners
Top drivers with most wins (>2) / most starts (>15). ''(As of 2022) ''
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Old Circuit of Ireland website from WayBackMachine
Current event websiteUlster Automobile ClubIntercontinental Rally Challenge2020 FIA European Rally Trophy season
Rally competitions in the United Kingdom
Rally competitions in Ireland
Motorsport in the Republic of Ireland
Motorsport in Northern Ireland
Circuit
Circuit