NORTHERN Ireland’s two premier stage rally competitions are returning to the small screen for the first time in over a decade in a move that has been dubbed a step forward for the sport.
More than 250 million people are expected to see highlights from rounds of both the Northern Ireland Rally Championship and its sister series, the Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge.
In all, there will be nine packages of between four and five minutes, with these being aired on ITV4 and ITV X – the UK broadcaster that also covers the Probite British Rally Championship.
These will be shown on the channels’ popular Motorsport Mundial programme, with a further five short round-up shows confirmed for the one-make Micra Challenge support competition.
Coverage is also set to have a strong international flavour, with footage being beamed into the homes of viewers in America, China, the Middle East and numerous European countries.
The agreement is the result of increased backing from key stakeholders in tandem with the championships’ principal sponsor – Brown & Brown, formerly known as McGrady Insurance.
An official announcement is due to be made in the coming days, with one source involved in the negotiations telling Irish News Sport: “We are naturally delighted to be able to bring this to fruition – it marks a great step forward for rallying, locally.
“A total of 14 appearances on truly global TV programmes is something we hardly dared to dream about – but it is recognition of the hard work and dedication put in by the volunteers that help to run our local Motor Clubs.
“The Micra Challenge was the first to go down this broadcast route – it proved to be the key that has opened this door for us,” they added. “Competitors in all classes are going to have a fantastic opportunity to show their talents on a wider platform – and also help showcase an important element of the path that has to be followed in order to get to the top of our sport.”
In the past, only a select handful of Motor Clubs in Northern Ireland could afford to pay for media production companies to cover their event. The hope is that with a well-known British broadcaster on board, it can attract new sponsors and entice existing ones to extend deals.
March 8 heralds the start of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship when the Bishopscourt Stages takes place, followed by the Tour of the Sperrins Rally (April 5) and Maiden City Stages Rally (May 24), the Loughgall Stages (July 5) and finally the ever-popular Down Rally on July 19 which is also a points-scoring round of the Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship.
As for the Northern Ireland Forest Rally Challenge, it too will be made up of five rounds, with the two-day Bushwhacker Rally (September 19 and 20) offering points at the end of both legs.
It gets underway on February 22 with the Fivemiletown Spring Rally, followed by September 6′s Lakeland Stages, the Bushwhacker and finally the Dog Leap Stages Rally on October 11.