Ireland has hosted a round of the World Rally Championship twice, in 2007 and 2009. The local governing body aims to reach an agreement with WRC Promoter that would guarantee the country hosting rights for three years for the 2025-27 seasons.
Last week, a delegation from Motorsport Ireland visited locations that wish to host the WRC round. Eventually, not just one city but three different locations were selected as potential rally centers: Kerry, Limerick, and Waterford.
Therefore, the rally’s hub would be in a different location each year. This is a highly unusual solution, as rallies are typically tied to one place for the entire duration of the agreement.
Choosing between different locations proved too difficult a task, according to the local governing body. WRC Promoter gave the green light to this unique plan.
However, Ireland still has much to do to officially secure its place in the WRC calendar. The biggest question is the event’s funding – the state would need to loosen its purse strings for the race.
“A three-year contract requires an investment of 15 million euros, but it will bring in a return of 300 million euros over those three years and immensely benefit the regional economies,” stated Aiden Harper, the president of Motorsport Ireland.
Last fall, WRC Promoter announced that Ireland would find a spot in the calendar if funding was secured. A representative of the promotion company visited the locations seeking to host the event with the local delegation.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Motorsport Ireland and the FIA (International Automobile Federation) to ensure a calendar spot for Ireland,” the promoter stated.
