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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 2025. ''The Circuit'', as it is colloquially known, is organised by the Ulster Automobile Club and is traditionally held over the
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
holiday weekend. It normally starts and finishes in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, although over time the lengthy route of the event has typically included large segments in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
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 Monte-Carlo) is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. From its inception in 1911 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert I, the rally ...
. 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 status in the United Kingdom, city 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 whic ...
. 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. 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 Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...
, County Down and finishing after 14 special stages in
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
. The overall winner was Eugene Donnelly in a Škoda Fabia WRC.


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 Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...
, 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 Sp ...
) 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 The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...
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 ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
. Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi dominated the (
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...
) ahead of 2nd place
Sepp Wiegand Sepp Wiegand (born January 9, 1991, in Zwönitz) is a German Rallying, rally driver. He competed in most events of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2012. Career results WRC results WRC Academy results † Ineligible to score points. ...
from Germany, making it a Skoda 1–2. He won by 1 minute and 50 seconds. Irishman Robert Barrable finished 3rd in their Ford Fiesta R5. 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 192 ...
. Ingram still became the youngest winner of the
Colin McRae Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007), was a British rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship Drivers' title. At 27, ...
'Flat Out' Award, handed to him by local hero Kris Meeke. The 2015 event hosted
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...
and Irish Tarmac Rally Championship rounds. The 2016 Circuit of Ireland event hosted
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...
, Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, as well as British Rally Championship 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
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 , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...
. 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.


2023

Following the successful running of the 2022 Circuit of Ireland, the Circuit of Ireland returned in 2023. The single day event, hosted on 8 April 2023, saw 8 stages based in Mid-Ulster. The 2023 Circuit was officially called "Milburn Concrete Circuit of Ireland Rally 2023" and was organised by the Cookstown Motor Club and the Ulster Automobile Club. In total, the 2023 circuit was 70 competitive miles long. The Circuit of Ireland presented as the third round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.


Winners


Multiple winners

Top drivers with most wins (>2) and most starts (>15). ''(As of 2022) ''


References

{{reflist, 2


External links


Old Circuit of Ireland website from WayBackMachine

Current event website

Ulster Automobile Club

Intercontinental Rally Challenge

2020 FIA European Rally Trophy season
Rally competitions in the United Kingdom Rally competitions in Ireland Sports competitions in Ulster Circuit Circuit