2006 Northern Ireland Rally Championship

Posted: January 10, 2006 5:46 PM

2006 MSA “PACENOTES” NORTHERN IRELAND RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP LAUNCH
The launch of the 2006 MSA Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship took place this afternoon at Superdrive Motorsports Centre, Portadown.

Many of Northern Ireland’s leading rally drivers attended the launch, including current Group N Champion, Neil McCance, former overall Champion, Kenny McKinstry, and a host of other competitors.

This year’s series is set to take a major step forward with a number of changes afoot. Kieran O’Neill, a regular competitor in the Irish rally scene, has taken the role of Championship Co-ordinator while Jonathan MacDonald, a full-time Motorsport Journalist, has been appointed as Media Co-ordinator. A new website (www.nirally.com) will provide news, results and high resolution images from each round of the championship.

PACENOTES CONFIRM SPONSORSHIP FOR A THIRD SEASON
Pacenotes has confirmed its continued involvement with the N.I. series. The rally newspaper, which is the country’s best-selling rally publication, is now in its third year of sponsoring Northern Ireland’s premier rally championship.
Pacenotes publishing editor, Simon Mooney, said: “Everyone at Pacenotes is delighted to be associated with the Northern Ireland Rally Championship. This is now our third season sponsoring the series. We see it as an integral part of helping the growth of Pacenotes and it’s our way of putting something back into the sport.”
Next month, Pacenotes is set to launch in Great Britain, providing the Northern Ireland championship with exposure across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on home ground.

SUPERDRIVE ANNOUNCE SPONSORSHIP OF TWO WHEEL DRIVE CATEGORY
Superdrive Motorsports Centre has agreed to sponsor the two wheel drive category on each round of the 2006 Northern Ireland series.
Superdrive Managing Director, Brendan Crealey, said: “At the end of each championship event, the leading three competitors in the two wheel drive category will each receive cash prizes which will go towards payment of the following round’s entry fee. As a competitor myself, I know how difficult it is to fund rallying. Everything helps and I think this is a great incentive for clubmen.”
To be eligible for the prize, two wheel drive competitors must be registered for the championship and carry Superdrive decals on their cars. In addition to providing prizes for two wheel drive competitors, all championship registered competitors can also avail of discounted tuition rates at Superdrive Motorsports Centre. For more information, Centre Manager Safron Thomas can be contacted on 028 3885 2545 or e-mail safron@superdriveni.com.

NEW PR PACKAGE FOR 2006 SEASON!
Jonathan MacDonald of MotorsportPR has been appointed as Media Co-ordinator for the 2006 MSA Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship. A brand new website for the championship has been unveiled at www.nirally.com. The website will provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for all championship news, results and general information.
Competitors will be able to download regulations and entry forms through the site while members of the media will have access to entry lists, results, news and high-resolution images. Accredited members of the media wishing to access high-res photographs must apply for a login ID and password by e-mailing media@nirally.com. Print media may use these images free of charge.
In conjunction with nirally.com, press releases will be issued to media outlets via e-mail before and after all nine rounds of the series. These releases will also be posted online at www.nirally.com. Championship points will be available through the website within one week of the final results being issued for each event.

www.nirally.com

With a slight change in format, the 2006 MSA Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship has become more ‘competitor friendly’. The opening half of the 2006 series will take place on sealed surfaces (rounds one to four inclusive) while the remaining five rounds will all consist of loose surfaces. This will see a reduction in costs for competitors - no longer will they need to swap their car setups from tarmac to gravel (and vice versa) more than once during the season.

This year’s Junior Championship has been opened to all classes of car, allowing the quickest driver under the age of 25 to win the award. During the 2005 season, only classes 1, 3, 4 and 5 were eligible. Championship Rounds

1. Kirkistown (North Armagh MC) - 18 Feb 06
2. Bishopscourt (Ballynahinch) - 18 Mar 06
3. Tour of the Sperrins - 20 May 06
4. Mourne Rally - 10 Jun 06
5. Dogleap Stages Rally - 5 Aug 06
6. Enniskillen Lakelands Stages Rally - 9 Sep 06
7. Bushwacker Rally - 30 Sep 06
8. Down Rally - 21 Oct 06
9. Glens of Antrim Rally - 4 Nov 06