PRESS
RELEASE
15 March 2010
CALLING
RALLY FANS - THE CIRCUIT NEEDS YOU!
Rally
fans are being asked to volunteer their services for this year's
UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally which takes place this Easter
weekend.
With
cars expected to travel at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour,
safety is the number one priority at the Rally, according to
Des O'Loan, Head of manpower for this year's event.
"Over
500 marshals are needed to help ensure the Easter weekend event
is as safe as possible for drivers, spectators and people who
live on the roads in the four border counties the rally will
cover," he said.
Des,
who will make sure each of the 15 stages of the 74th Circuit
of Ireland Rally are carefully managed by qualified and responsible
volunteers, has appealed for people interested in working as
marshals to register via the web site www.circuitofireland.net
or call the CoI Marshal Hotline on 078 9298 4021.
He
said: "The event involves high speed motorsport on narrow,
bumpy roads, with the top competing cars accelerating from nought
to 60 miles an hour in just over three seconds. They are really
powerful machines some of which are almost as quick as Formula
One cars.
"Marshals
are right in the thick of the action controlling all sorts of
exciting situations. In the event of an incident their job is
to be on the scene as quick as possible to get the cars back
on the road and keep the rally moving. Marshals also make sure
the general public are able to watch the high speed event from
safe vantage points
"To
be a marshal you need to be over 16 and have an interest in
motorsport. It really is a fantastic opportunity to get an unrivalled
vantage point for what promises to be an amazing rally."
"We
need timekeepers, staff for the service area and for the stages
themselves.
"There
are always a lot of experienced people to take control. Each
stage has a stage manager who co-ordinates what happens at each
stage and a stage commander who sets up the stage and runs all
the technical bits like putting up rope at road junctions and
deploying their team."
Newry
man Des, who has been involved in motorsport for over 30 years
and is chairman of Newry and District Motorsport added that
marshals play a vital role in liaising with the people who live
on the route.
"We
endeavour to speak to everyone in the area affected by the rally
to ensure they know what to expect. We really appreciate the
cooperation everyone gives us and we make every effort to accommodate
anyone who needs to get in and out of houses for important reasons
safely during the rally."
Des
says the 18 mile night time stage will be a challenge for the
marshals.
"We
will need about 100 marshals to man the night-time stages which
we expect to be extremely popular because the opportunity to
watch such a long stage at night has not been available for
so long.
"On
the Saturday we will need about 350 people, around 60 marshals
for each stage. People come from all over Ireland including
Cork, Sligo, Dublin and the North Coast and they find it is
a very sociable and friendly event."
Newtownards
man Andrew Frater said: "I have been marshalling at the
Circuit of Ireland Rally for 23 years and it's always a fantastic
event. It's a tremendous opportunity to be close to the action,
with top drivers displaying their skill and expertise. Marshals
do a very important job in helping keep the Rally as safe as
possible and display great team spirit in their work."
Now
boasting IRC Supporter Event status, in a major coup for the
organisers of the world's second oldest rally, the eyes of the
rallying world will be on competitors and organisers this Easter
weekend, on April 3 and 4. Dundalk will see the ceremonial start
on Saturday 3 April before the rally moves on to 15 stages across
counties Down, Armagh, Monaghan and Louth.
Precise
details surrounding the locations of each of the stages will
be in the Circuit of Ireland programmes, available for purchase
at local retailers from 26 March. A full list of retailers is
available at www.circuitofireland.net
Fans
wishing to pre-order the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland programme
on-line will be entered into a draw to win a ride in the 2010
Dakar winning VW Race Touareg, which will act as a zero car
in the Rally. Spectators can view it at each stage and at the
service park at Carnbane Industrial Estate in Newry.
The
Circuit plays host to a number of championships including the
second round of the hotly contested Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally
Championship.
Sponsors
of the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally 2010 include the Department
of Culture Arts and Leisure, Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship,
Hankook, Triton Showers, Banbridge District Council, Dundalk
Chamber, Newry and Mourne District Council, the Park Hotel,
Dundalk, KDM Hire, The Web Bureau and Kantar Media.
Follow
the latest Circuit of Ireland Rally News at www.circuitofireland.net
and on Facebook.
ENDS
Notes
to editors:
The Circuit of Ireland
Beginning in Dundalk town centre at 11 am on Easter Saturday,
3 April, thousands are expected to descend on Dundalk to meet
and greet the competitors before they set off on 15 stages across
counties Armagh, Monaghan, Louth and Down.
135
competitors will begin a gruelling rally taking in some 270
miles across some of the most stunning scenery in Ireland.
This
year the service park will be situated in Newry's Carnbane Industrial
Estate. On Saturday afternoon drivers will also rest in Solitude
Park in Banbridge from 4pm.
An
18-mile marathon night stage will take place south of Banbridge
on Saturday night.
Stages
in Monaghan will take place on Sunday afternoon with the rally
finishing in Newry later that day.
In
2009, Eugene Donnelly took the title in a Skoda Fabia WRC
