Organisers rev up for action-packed rally weekend
Committee members of the Mayo Stages Rally at the Great National Hotel in Ballina which will at as headquarters for next Sunday's rally. Pictures: Michael Donnelly
With an oversubscribed impressive entry and rally weekend fast approaching, the organisers of the Mayo Stages Rally are flat out making their final preparations.
The big event takes place on Sunday next, March 3, and is based out of Ballina. So in advance of that, Mayo and District Motorsport Club last Thursday held its usual pre-rally Schools’ Day, involving Garracloon, Cloghans and Mount Palmer National Schools.
Schools’ Day has proven to be an excellent opportunity for the club to use its expertise and knowledge to educate, in a fun and memorable way, local school children in the vicinity of the rally about the importance of both rally and road safety at all times.
Presented in conjunction with the RSA, Mayo County Council and An Garda Síochána, the by Mayo and District Motorsport Club event provided the very interested pupils with a special opportunity to learn first-hand about general road safety, the safety measures that are needed to run a rally, as well as a demonstration of the safety equipment on-board a current rally car.
This Saturday, on the evening before the rally, at the Market Square (aka The Plaza) in Ballina town centre, the exciting Ceremonial Start of the Mayo Stages Rally will begin at 7.30pm. In attendance will be locally competing crews and the top 20 cars competing in this year’s rally, passing through the ramp and proceeding onto what will be the closing highlight of the evening, the rally parade. This will involve the cars passing through the town centre to go back up to parc fermé.
Motorsport Ireland will also be in attendance and will introduce their two new Road Safety Ambassadors, one of whom is last year's Junior World Rally champion. In addition, Motorsport Ireland will be launching their Youth Marshalls and Officials Training, and this training will be held in The Great National Hotel, Ballina this Saturday, March 2 at 3.30pm. It is hoped there will be a good uptake on the training from the youth of Ballina and its surrounding areas.
The following morning will see months of preparation by a dedicated team come to fruition in the guise of an action-packed, fun-filled and fast rally day. Competitors will depart Rally HQ (The Great National Hotel Ballina), and head off to the routes where the classes and overall winners will be decided.
The organisers of the 2024 Great National Hotel Connacht Print & Signs Caseys Londis Mayo Stages Rally would like to ask the spectators to please obey the marshals who are there to keep you safe.
Rally programmes will be available in various outlets and online closer to rally weekend.
