12/05/07 - Des O’Loan from Newry and District Motor Club has announced that the 35 year old Mourne Rally, to be held on Saturday 9 June, will have a new sponsor in local tyre company Modern Tyre Service, which has two depots in Newry and a total of 26 depots in Northern Ireland.

This year’s event will start from the Town Hall in Newry on the Saturday morning followed by 12 stages, with some familiar classics including Slieve Gullion and Camlough Mountain. Service will be in Carnbane Industrial Estate with cars finishing up at the Mourne Country Hotel where a prize giving will be held.

The event is a round of the Northern Ireland Pacenotes Rally Championship and the McAree Engineering Border Championship, and the club is expecting an entry of over 100 cars with some of the quickest drivers participating. Scrutiny will take place at the premises of Modern Tyre Service in Carnbane Industrial Estate on Friday evening before the event, which will be open to the public.

Rumour has it that double Irish Tarmac Champion Derek McGarrity will use the rally as his first event since his bad accident on the Isle of Man last August, in preparation for the Donegal International Rally the following week.

Commenting at the launch, Rory Byrne Director of Modern Tyre Service and competitor in the Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship said: "We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Mourne Rally and look forward to working with the Newry and District Motor Club to help raise the profile of the event. Our sponsorship deal will help to raise our association with rallying in the province while providing an excellent opportunity to remind local motorists of the professional service provided by Modern Tyre Service through our network of depots which includes two based in Newry".

Remarking on their new event sponsor for 2007, Des O’Loan said: "I'm delighted to have a company like Modern Tyre Service on board and with Rory’s enthusiasm for the sport we are looking forward to introducing many of the fresh initiatives they can bring to our event."

[ Home ]        [ Latest News ]