The city of Belfast will once again be a key host for this year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally with organisers revealing a new home for the Circuit’s Rally HQ and Service Park.
The King’s Hall will play host to the Circuit which will be one of the last large scale events at the popular 1930’s venue.
Explaining the background to the new move, Circuit of Ireland event director Bobby Willis said:
“Belfast City is a key hub of the Circuit and it was important to identify a new top quality location to house our Rally Office and Village, Service Park and Media Centre and one which has easy access to all stage routes across counties Antrim and Down.
“Titanic has been a fantastic site for the past two years but with further development and new infrastructure at Titanic Quarter, it was necessary to move to a different location to acquire the space and accommodation needed for the 1000 plus competitors and team personnel.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our partnership with Titanic Quarter, but the Circuit team is looking forward to utilising a brand new venue and especially one which has a historic connection to the Circuit of Ireland Rally.
This is a return visit to the King’s Hall as the venue played host to the start of the 1971 rally when Adrian Boyd and Beatty Crawford chalked up a victory.”
Welcoming the Circuit to Belfast, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Arder Carson said:
“I am delighted that Belfast is again playing a key role in this year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally, and that the event continues to be a highlight in our city’s calendar. I have no doubt that this year’s event will be bigger and better and we look forward to welcoming participants as well as thousands of rally fans to enjoy all that Belfast has to offer.”
Entries are set to open in early February and organisers are expecting another bumper entry in 2016.