Cartell.ie Killarney Rally of the Lakes

Killarney & District Motor Club, organisers of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes, have announced details of this year’s event which will take place over the May bank holiday weekend (May 4–6).

The Rally of the Lakes is one of the largest sporting events in Killarney attracting visitors and crews from all corners of the country. The event is the highlight of the Irish rallying calendar and is counted as rounds of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship and the Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship.

This year the event celebrates its 40th Anniversary with Killarney businessman Dermot Healy taking on the role of COC for his sixth year. Dermot, who is very much known in the town of Killarney for his incredible voluntary and charity work, has put together a strong organising committee and operations are well under way.

“The demanding, technical and challenging route stages are the most famous classic route of stages available and these stages should test each competitor to their full ability,” Dermot explained. “While also maintaining the unique classic stages that the Rally of the Lakes is renowned for worldwide, our main aim is to bring the Rally back in and around the Killarney town area and we have achieved this with our Sunday loop of stages.”

Once again for their ninth consecutive year Ireland’s leading vehicle history record company Cartell.ie returns as the main title sponsor of the Rally of the Lakes 2018. Additional backing will be provided by the Killarney Advertiser, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Gleneagle Hotel Group, who have been supporters of the Rally of the Lakes for many years and continue as associate sponsors.

The Rally of the Lakes is firmly established as one of Ireland’s premier rally events and it gives a major boost to the businesses of the town and the local economy. TV coverage alone is beamed to 38 countries with an estimated 30 million household subscribers. Dermot remarked: “This exposure is fantastic for Killarney and the Rally of the Lakes and it hugely increases our attraction as an international event for competitors and spectators to enjoy”.

Features of this year’s event include:

• Official Rally Launch on Sunday, April 15 at the Brehon Hotel
• Total of 16 of Ireland’s classic stages such as: Molls Gap, Beallaghbeama, Cods Head & Ardgroom
• 240 km of stage competition
• Centralised service each day

The three-day event will begin with a ceremonial start in Killarney’s town centre at 7pm on Friday, May 4. Plans are at an advanced stage to create a motorsport festival on the streets of Ireland’s most famous town.

The real action will commence early on Saturday morning with the iconic Molls Gap, followed by the Tim Healy Pass and centralised service in Castletownbere Pier. Then it’s time to head out on the famous stages of Cods Head and Ardgroom with a repeat run over the Healy Pass and into service for a well-deserved break. Cods Head and Ardgroom are repeated and a blast through the Kilmakilloge harbour stage to finish off the day.

Sunday Morning starts with Molls Gap once again, followed by the mountainous Beallaghbeama Pass, then into service at Liebherr Container cranes in Killarney. This loop of Molls Gap and Beallaghbeama Pass is repeated with the inclusion of a new version of the fast-flowing Shanera stage called Brook Hill. It’s into service once again before heading out to the spectator friendly loop of Rossanean, Brook Hill and Rossanean again as the final stage. The crews will arrive back to the finishing ramp at the Rally Headquarters, The Gleneagle Hotel, at 5.30pm for celebrations and champagne.

The May bank holiday weekend is near and the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes is the place to be.