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All a bit too local?

10K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  rallyretro 
#1 ·
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98694

don't get me wrong it was a good event and Bobby Willis and his team did a good job but why can't the route get a bit more adventurous like the retro Circuit?
It seems to be the new trends of the 'Classic' events now to go off to long orginal routes due to the relaxed total distances allowed in the IRC
 
#2 · (Edited)
Some of the reason they dont increase route is cost, and that you couldn't expect works competitors alone to be able to afford a long 'Circuit' and still run a rally only with them entered. Tour de Corse event sounds interesting, but how many competitors are entered so far this year?

It also could be a case of time - Allow the event build up over a number of years in terms of organisational infrastructure, popularity, etc then expand a bit.

Heres a quote from Bobby when he took over in October 2009 which kind of explains what I'm saying, assuming of course they don't get cozy with the good sponsor they have and the potential repeat IRC status they have, and build on it. "I have a vision to re-establish the Circuit of Ireland as one of the leading rallies in Europe, providing all stakeholders with a motorsport event Ireland can be proud of, to re-awaken a sleeping giant. No matter where you travel in the world, the Circuit of Ireland holds a special place in peoples’ hearts – I want to re-invigorate that nostalgia and host a rally worthy of its heritage. In essence, I want to build interest in the rally beyond our current base, hopefully bringing new championships and funding partners to the Circuit. This will take time to realise, and I am appealing for competitors, volunteers and fans to get in touch via the website www.circuitofireland.net with their comments and to register for the latest news as it develops.”

I do think rather than crews going to Belfast for a half supported Superspecial considering the cost against it, then also going to Lisburn for a small 2km stage the following day, would it not make more sense to combine all that road mileage and do one or two monster stages in either Donegal area or Antrim coast , especially considering it would be pure moneyshot stuff for IRC audiences with chopper shots of cars going along coast roads and scenery and so on, a la Rally Ireland.
 
#3 ·
Bit like that stage on rally Ireland in Sligo around the headland there was superb scenic shots,
Eurosport to their credit Floged the tourism aspect to their best ability but in fairness Armagh would not be the biggest tourism venue in the country bar the cathedral it hasn't alot more to attract the yanks or the Europeans
 
#11 ·
Good man rallyretro doing the bit for the tourist board I hadn't a clue them things existed,I was I suspose a tourist the weekend so I'm wrong in what I said there is more to offer,here's hoping we'll be back next year and I can have a look

But it's good that a rally can educate you on theses things,the NI tourist campaigns haven't
 
#5 ·
Ref this : http://www.maxrally.com/news/entry/drivers_want_more_circuit_in_the_circuit/

Really, if you want to call it "Circuit of Ireland", you need to have it spread out across the 4 provinces.

Otherwise, maybe they should just rename it to "Circuit of a small bit of Ulster".........

And give up the rights to the name to some other club that is interested in staging an event that reflects the name properly.......
 
#15 ·
Ref this : http://www.maxrally.com/news/entry/drivers_want_more_circuit_in_the_circuit/

Really, if you want to call it "Circuit of Ireland", you need to have it spread out across the 4 provinces.

Otherwise, maybe they should just rename it to "Circuit of a small bit of Ulster".........

And give up the rights to the name to some other club that is interested in staging an event that reflects the name properly.......
The Circuit of Ireland is a name not a mission statement. The Paris Dakar now takes place on a different continent. The world moves on.

If Beermonster and his fellow travellers have the money to subsidise the competitors to visit the four provinces by all means we will visit all four provinces. Its very easy to tell others how to spend their money. Have you not learned anything from the popularity of Galway this year.

Bobby and his team ran an excellent event. Lets give them a chance to expand it in an orderly way without overstretching themselves, their budgets and the competitors budgets.

I was one of those competitors on the 4 day Circuits when a handful of people made it around to the finish - it was not pretty then and it would not be pretty now.
 
#6 ·
If you try to run an event that covers the 4 provinces it would be far too expensive for 90% of the competitors. No competitors = No rally. Simple as that.

I think it was first class apart from the 2 wee stages in Belfast and Lisburn. They did nothing for the event in my opinion. If you want to run a stage through a town have a 15km stage that starts in the country and come through a town in the middle like what Donegal used to do.
 
#12 ·
Could the international lad's cross the border for it maybe?? so some of it is held in the south? than NI competitors could do so many stage's but not the few in the south?? over the hans bar's etc!! Circuit of ireland should be a circuit of IRELAND!

im not giving out either top class event held by bobby and team im just saying it as i and so many other's feel!!
 
#19 ·
if the nationals didn,t have to drive up the M1 to do the titanic stage and started the rally at antrim then i for one would have done the event this year. had it in our diary for the year till the route was released and even had accomadation etc sorted for the week and all sorted but just could not justify spending cash on fuel to drive road distances this far for so little live stage distance. will still compete in 4 rounds of championship but dissappointed that circuit wasn,t our 5th. rallying with a budget that just doesn,t allow for excessive road distances and i for one thought the rally without the titanic stage would be a more appealing event to other competitors as well that have to watch the pennies and pounds in order to stay competeing these days in the sport we love.
still and all great to see the circuit has a buzz about it again thanks to all the work done by the team behind it and pg 2013 we get there instead.
 
#23 ·
if the nationals didn,t have to drive up the M1 to do the titanic stage and started the rally at antrim then i for one would have done the event this year.
If the rally runs a similar layout again I doubt they'll use the Titanic Quarter again. Using it was as much to do with the centenary as much as anything. A short spectator stage outside Armagh on closed roads (like the Ulster rally a few years back) would be a better option maybe?
 
#24 ·
In my previous comments I forgot to mention a phone call I got on Sunday.
It was from a Dublin based press photographer who asked me which day the rally was coming to SallyGap or Aughavannagh. He was disappointed when I told him it's only a two day rally now and that it no longer goes as far as that and it was fully in the North this year.

He went on to say that he was in Belfast on Good Friday with his partner and two kids and were going to the Titanic Building in Belfast. They quickly realised when they arrived that the rally was there in the Titanic Quarter that day, and they were interested in going to it too, but when they were told the price it would be for the four of them to get into the rally grounds they decided against it.

My point is this. Why go to the bother of putting on a stage that probably costs considerable money if it doesn't even attract the very people that it was designed to pull in (families & tourists in the area for the day).

To me, the City Hall start was a far more successful PR exercise, both for media and families, as well as the spectacle of it, and I'm sure it was a lot lot cheaper to put on too.

Yes, the rally needs money, but I'm not sure the Titanic special stage is the right way to go to source such funds.
 
#25 ·
In my previous comments I forgot to mention a phone call I got on Sunday.
It was from a Dublin based press photographer who asked me which day the rally was coming to SallyGap or Aughavannagh. He was disappointed when I told him it's only a two day rally now and that it no longer goes as far as that and it was fully in the North this year.
Man must be well out of the loop, hasn't been down that way in 13 years!
 
#26 ·
Many a happy year i and a lot of others had following the circuit around ireland , it used to be my idea of a great holiday and it was.
But the rally suffered for shortage of money (we all know whats thats like!) and other problems , but this year was hopefully the circuit rising up again and fair play they done a great job, now they can hopefully start to build on sponsorship for the event due to the great tv and pr from this years event because thats what sponsors want.
Good luck to all who put on this years event , because you can be sure they are already working on next years.
 
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