Next year's event will again visit a total of eight counties, including Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Roscommon, Cavan and Antrim. Organisers have sought to bring the rally to locations that the event has not visited before.
It appears the FIA and teams have agreed to a gala day in Belfast the Saturday (24th Jan) before the rally. The event is to consist of demo runs for VIP's and celebs at Stormont who will be driven by the manufacturer drivers. The plan is to launch the series in the Great Hall and on the steps of Stormont. SSS1 will again most likely be Stormont after a successful debut last year. The event is scheduled to run from 29th Jan-Feb 1st 2009. Headquaters will once again be the Clarion Hotel in Sligo, while the service park remains nearby in the grounds of the Institute of Technology. Two stages will be broadcast live again, as in 2007.
It looks like there will be two night time stages on the Friday, a live stage on Saturday along a coast road, approx 1 mile long, and organisers are looking at three locations (Mullaghmore being one of these options).
Murley and Fardross will move to Friday (run on Sunday in 07) while Geevagh, Arigna and Lough Gill will run on Sunday morning.
A new stage in Cavan will run on Friday as well as a lengthened Bencroy.
The Saturday stages will remain the same as last year while Drumshanbo is the only stage from 07 to be dropped in 09 although part of it will probably be incorporated into the lengthened Bencroy. The event will again be split 50/50 between north and south. The FIA are due to approve the route around the end of June.
Eddie Jordan and Trevor Ringland continue as Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively.
Stormont will kickstart the 2009 WRC
Tom Lawless in-car Stormont
Rally Ireland 2009 Preview
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