Three counties to host World Rally Championship events in 2025

The World Rally Championship will be hosted by three Munster counties next year. 

Venues in Limerick, Tralee and Waterford have been chosen to host one of the most prestigious events in rallying. 

It was confirmed at a press conference this Tuesday morning that the global event will be staged in Limerick Racecourse on one year between 2025 and 2028, subject to governmental funding.

President of Motorsport Ireland, Aiden Harper confirmed judges could not separate the three bids - the others being from Waterford and Tralee - following inspections at the back end of next week.

So all three venues will stage one year of the internationally renowned event.

It's a major boost for all three counties, with conservative estimates suggesting the tournament could bring €100m into the local economy.

Speaking at Motorsport Ireland's headquarters in Dublin, Mr Harper said expressions of interest on specific years the venues wished to host in would now be invited.

If more than one expression of interest is received for each year, a lottery system will take place.

Mr Harper described all three presentations as "exceptional", "mindblowing" and "all different in approach."

"We believe all WRC events would be delighted to have any of them as a service park," he added, "We tried many different scoring systems. But no two came out head and shoulders above one location. Each location has so much to give and showcases our country in a slightly different way."