Galway Motor Club is delighted to confirm that there is a capacity entry of 122 teams for this year’s Colm Quinn BMW Galway International Rally, a significant increase on last year.

The competing teams, their sponsors and crews, and the thousands of spectators that will line the route will bring a welcome early season boost to visitor numbers to Galway city and county. For 2014, the event has reverted to a two day format and is expected to generate over 2,000 bed nights to hotels and guest houses. The event is worth in the region of €5m to the local economy. The entries have been boosted by the recent announcements of sponsorship of the championship by Clonakilty Blackpudding and the fact that the event will be filmed by SportsVision for broadcast on UTV, TG4, Sky and Motors TV during February.

At the recent launch, Clerk of the Course, Kieran Donohue said “Galway Motor Club is indebted to the staff of Galway County and City Councils, An Garda Siochana, Failte Ireland, the Road Safety Authority, the Directors and staff of Colm Quinn BMW, the 300 volunteer marshals from all over Ireland, and most of all the residents of the route in Gort and the south of the county for their assistance with temporary road closures to ensure the safe running of the event.”

The event will start with a Ceremonial Start in Eyre Square on Friday 7th February at 8pm, following afternoon scrutineering of cars at Monaghans Skoda on the Tuam Road from 2pm. These are ideal opportunities to see the rally cars and drivers prior to the start of the competition.

Headquarters for the event is the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway. The rally route will cover 5 closed road stages on Saturday 8th February and a further 8  on Sunday  9th February. The rally Service Park will be in Gort Mart each day, by kind permission of the Mart Committee.  Sunday evening will see the Ceremonial Finish at the Clayton Hotel, Dublin Road, Galway, at approximately 3.30pm.  Admission to all events is free over the weekend.