MOTOR SPORT WRC founders stand down

Rally Ireland co-founders Sean O'Connor and Ronan Morgan will stand down from the promotion and management of Ireland's prestigious World Rally Championship (WRC) round at the end of this month.

"This has been a massively demanding, but rewarding experience for us over the past four years which saw the project evolve from a feasibility study in 2004 to become one of the best rounds of the World Championship by 2007," they explained, "the event now has a very strong foundation and it is up to the new CEO, Alex Sinclair, and his vastly experienced colleagues in Motorsport Ireland to take it to the next level. We have every confidence in their capacity to deliver."

O'Connor and Morgan paid special tribute to six key public servants who made an outstanding contribution to the winning of a World Rally Championship (WRC) round for Ireland: Peter Hain MP, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Senator Marc Marc Mc Sharry, Tلnaiste Mary Coughlan T.D., Ian Paisley Jnr, MLA and Edgar Jardine, Deputy Permanent Secretary of DCAL.

"We would also like to thank our 2007 sponsors, Fلilte Ireland and DCAL, for helping create a truly outstanding world-class event that generated the highest level of TV coverage in the whole series," they added. "However it was the 4,000 volunteers from Motorsport Ireland and the ANICC, along with a quarter of a million fans that made Rally Ireland unique."

The two Dubliners, who have more than 60 years WRC experience between them, started the North-South event in 2004 at the request for the both Governments. On completion of a feasibility study, a pilot WRC event was organised in October 2005, followed by an official WRC candidate rally in 2006. Despite massive competition from a range of larger countries, the bid proved successful and Rally Ireland made its debut last November. Starting in Belfast and finishing in Sligo, it was widely acclaimed as one of the best events of the 2007 WRC.

"It was a pleasure and a privilege to grow Rally Ireland from just a dream to a world-class success and we want to say thanks to the thousands of people who helped that happen. Now that we have achieved that dream, it's time to move on to the next challenge and hand over to the sports' governing bodies who have the necessary expertise to build on that success."

Rally Ireland will be the first round of the 2009 World Rally Championship series starting on January 29th and finishing on February 1. The 2007 event, the largest sporting event held in Ireland that year was watched by TV viewers in more than 180 countries and delivered € 46 million in economic benefit.

For further information contact

• Ronan Morgan 087 2461250, or
• Sean O'Connor 087 2589866