The Monte-Carlo will indeed be there in 2009… but with the IRC!

Me Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and Jacques Behar, Chairman and CEO of Eurosport Events, promoter of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), announced this morning at the headquarters of the Automobile Club de Monaco the participation of the Monte-Carlo Automobile Rally in the IRC in 2009.

The 77th edition of the Monte-Carlo Automobile Rally will thus open the 2009 IRC season in January, which will include a total of 10 to 12 renowned rallies spread across 3 continents.

René Isoart, General Commissioner of ACM events: « With the new alternation regulation adopted by the FIA, we have studied a range of possibilities to maintain the organization of the Monte Carlo Rally. The IRC is the solution. This series demonstrated in its first season all its dynamism, value, and potential. Also, this project appealed to us, and we are therefore very happy to join this intercontinental series in 2009 and to be able to benefit from exceptional media coverage that highlights the fundamentals of rallying, open to a majority of amateurs, the diversity, the beauty of the regions, competition, and the talent of driving and co-driving.

Jacques Béhar: « It is a great honor for the IRC to open the season with the Monte Carlo Rally, the most prestigious event in the history of rallying. We are developing around the IRC an innovative strategy aimed at promoting rallying to the general public, particularly through live television broadcasts. We will continue to expand this media exposure and will be delighted to offer, notably through the entire Eurosport network, to all fans of the Monte Carlo Rally, rallying, and sports in general, a live international coverage of this legendary event. »

Launched in 2007, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is an international series authorized by the FIA and organized by Eurosport Events, a subsidiary of the Eurosport Group responsible for organizing, promoting, and developing international sporting events. In its first season, the IRC brought together 9 events and recorded the participation of 6 manufacturers.

According to Press Release