Entries Now Open for Modern Tyres Ulster Rally
Penultimate Round of Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Set for August 17
Entries are officially open for the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, scheduled for Saturday, August 17. This highly anticipated event will serve as the penultimate round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, featuring top drivers and manufacturers.
Keith Cronin, the 2016 Tarmac champion, currently leads the championship standings with 73 points after securing victories in Galway and West Cork, with Mikie Galvin as his co-driver. Matt Edwards and Callum Devine, with strong performances on the Circuit of Ireland and consecutive wins, respectively, are also in close contention, ensuring fierce competition among Skoda, Ford, Citroen, Volkswagen, and Hyundai teams.
Promoted and organised by Northern Ireland Motor Club Ltd, the Ulster Rally has already garnered interest from over forty crews. To manage costs for both organisers and teams, the event will be conducted over a single day in 2024. Despite this, the rally will still feature eight closed-road stages, covering a total of eighty-three competitive miles.
The action will kick off with two stages – ‘Shinn Bridge’ and ‘Banbridge North’ – followed by a service at Modern Tyres’ Carnbane Industrial Estate headquarters in Newry. The second loop includes ‘Tyrone Ditches’ and ‘Babylon Hill,’ followed by another service and a second pass over ‘Shinn Bridge.’ At 2 pm, crews will regroup at Banbridge Civic Building on Downshire Road before tackling ‘Banbridge North’ again, and the rally will conclude with repeats of ‘Tyrone Ditches’ and ‘Babylon Hill.’
Wayne Turkington, the Clerk of the Course, highlighted significant changes to two stages and modifications to two others, aiming to create new challenges for competitors and enhance the spectator experience. “With that in mind, I believe that next month’s event will offer the best stages to be run locally this year,” he stated.
Supplementary regulations and a rally guide for fans are available on the official Ulster Rally website (www.ulsterrally.com).
