The Pirelli International Rally, originally scheduled for Saturday 28/ Sunday 29 April – as the second of seven rounds in this year’s British Rally Championship – has been postponed until Saturday 27/ Sunday 28 October.

Ed Graham, Media Officer for the event organisers, Cumberland Sporting Car Club Ltd, commented, ‘ The feeling of the club is that it would be very insensitive to run the rally, even if the Foot and Mouth crisis was over by the end of April. For all concerned in the organisation and hosting of the rally, it was only right that we made this decision sooner rather than later’.

By moving to October, the Carlisle-based event avoids clashing with World Rally Championship events and all other major national championship rallies on mainland Britain.

‘From an operational point of view we will deliver the rally we planned for next month in October, the only significant difference will be the shorter daylight hours and some of the drivers may face competitive sections in darkness on the first leg’, said a senior member of the organising team.

The first two rounds of the British Rally Championship have now been postponed.

The Rally of Wales, originally scheduled for this coming weekend (10/11 March) has yet to find an alternative date. Its opportunities are governed by the availability of the North East Wales Institute in Wrexham, where the rally has its Headquarters and overnight halt.

It now looks increasingly likely that the British Championship will begin with the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally, which is due to start in Dumfries on Saturday 9 June.

For further information, please contact either:

John Horton
Media contact, British Rally Championship
Tel: +44 (0)121 378 2828
E-mail: john@jhmm.co.uk.

Ed Graham
Media Officer, Pirelli International Rally
Tel: +44 (0)1661 833167.
Mobile: +44 (0)7885 149903
E-mail: media@edg.ndo.co.uk