Kerry Motor Club Release details of the Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry 2017

“A rally for competitors by competitors” is the mantra being followed by Kerry Motor Club ahead of its April 2 Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally.

Run under the stewardship of Richard Talbot, one of the most experienced rally organisers in the country, the event will offer the maximum allowed stage mileage under Motorsport Ireland regulations. The Tralee man re-takes the helm of the club’s flagship event 30 years after his first appointment as the Circuit of Kerry clerk of the course.

An extensive route survey has already taken place and residents in the proposed route have offered their all-important support to the rally. A total of  nine  stages, in three-by-three format , using roads not used in The Kingdom for many years, and on stages made famous by the old-style Circuit of Ireland, ensures that competitors and fans can look forward to a long and challenging rally.

Another plus point for the rally is that driver sign-on, the service park, and other event-related activities are all housed within the Rose Hotel’s complex, making it a very easy event to manage from both an organiser and competitor point-of-view.

Richard Talbot  said: “ I am glad and surprised to be back as COC for 2017 and very much looking forward to it. We have three very good stages totalling 120km of excellent tarmac. I would encourage as many competitors as possible to consider the event, either as part of the Top Part Championship or as a warm up for the Circuit Festival 2017 taking place a week later, or indeed the third round of the Triton Series, the Monaghan Stages a few weeks later. One thing is for sure, a warm welcome awaits you on the on  April1 and 2  in Tralee for some fantastic stages. I would also like to acknowledge the enormous effort and help from my deputy Eoin Duffin and all the team.”

Further details of the event will be released in the coming weeks, ahead of the rally’s launch on Sunday March 12th at the Rose Hotel Tralee.

Entry forms can now be downloaded from  kerrymotorclub.com. Entry fees are set at 799 euro including all insurance levies (€529 excluding Motorsport Ireland levy), while junior drivers will pay €488 (€300 plus €188 levy) for the first six stages.

Image from Pádraig Foran