Wednesday May 19th 2010. Organisers of next month’s Topaz Donegal International Rally have confirmed that this year’s rally will feature a stage around the town of Buncrana.
It’s the first time in nearly 30 years that the Topaz Donegal International Rally has had a town stage and it’s expected the move will draw record crowds to the opening day of the event.
Organisers expect the spectacle of the town stage to push overall spectator numbers up by another 20,000 thousand to 70,000.
The 39th Topaz Donegal International Rally, the only remaining three day rally in the country and a key part of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, takes place from Friday the 18th of June to Sunday the 20th .
Over 150 drivers will do battle for the title – which was won last year by Gareth MacHale - over the 275 kilometre long course. The event will also incorporate a Historic Rally competition and the Fiesta Challenge on Saturday the 19th followed by a Junior Rally on Sunday the 20th.
Evidence of the higher profile that the Rally is gaining is recognised by the decision of the BBC to commission a two part series about the event. The documentaries will focus on the preparations and organisation of the Rally while they will also follow the journey of the rally drivers, safety marshals, hotel staff and the supporters throughout the event.
Produced for the BBC by The Picturehouse Belfast, the producers of the programme Gavin Halpin and Gráinne McGuinness said they knew the passion which existed for the sport in the region and wanted to capture that on film. ‘‘Being from Letterkenny ourselves, and with the director Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig a native of Gaoth Dobhair, we know how important the Rally is to people across the region. This is a huge annual sporting occasion and we want to show what this event means to the drivers, the organisers, and the fans, who support it in such huge numbers.’’ The documentaries are due to be aired this autumn.
The Clerk of the Course, Danny Gormley believes the excitement generated by the spectacle of the Buncrana stage will ensure this year’s rally gets off to a flying start.
“We are very excited by this move and I really believe this stage will make for a truly memorable opening day to this year’s event. But this is a tough three day event and the winner will be the one who negotiates the particular challenges this rally throws up over the three days. I want to thank Topaz for their very generous sponsorship of this event and all the people – including some 500 stewards - who help organize it. I’d also like to give a special word of thanks to the authorities in Buncrana for making the town stage possible. Organising a town stage requires a huge amount of work, co-operation not to mention good will from so many people and organizations and we are extremely grateful for all that’ Gormley said.
The Chief Executive of Topaz, Eddie O’Brien, who is from Buncrana said the organizers and the local authorities deserved praise for the innovative move.
“Bringing the thrills of rallying to the people in this way will raise the profile of the sport and indeed of this lovely town. As a local, I’m probably a little bit biased but I know from firsthand experience the importance of the Rally to the region and the support it enjoys from the people of the county. The Donegal Motor Club is 40 years old this year and the organization deserves great credit for all it has achieved in that time. This is the third year of our sponsorship arrangement and as a fully Irish owned and managed company, Topaz is delighted to support this fantastic event and we are looking forward to another highly successful rally again this year’ O’Brien concluded.
The Mayor of Buncrana, Lee Tedstone said the Rally had a huge economic significance for the whole region and he was delighted that Buncrana would host a special stage of this year’s rally.
‘This rally attracts 50,000 spectators every year and this year we hope to push that on by another 20,000. So we are issuing an open invitation to people to come along and enjoy the rally and everything else that Buncrana and Donegal has to offer. In the current economic climate the importance of the Rally to the economy of Donegal and the northwest region as a whole is more important than ever. It is worth up to €25 million to the local economy and we believe this year Buncrana will reap the benefits of playing a central role in the Rally’ Tedstone concluded.
Further Information
Contact Eleanor Newman
Gordon MRM
01-6650454 or 087 - 6440678