ARDS TT STAGE TO RECREATE PAST GLORIES ON THE ERC CIRCUIT OF IRELAND RALLY
The famous Ulster TT Races of the late 1920s and early 1930s will be celebrated with the new Ards TT Town Centre Special Stage on the Circuit of Ireland Rally, round four of the FIA European Rally Championship.
Scheduled for the evening of Friday 18 April, the stage – organised in conjunction with Ards Borough Council – will run through Newtownards, which featured on the route of the famous Ards Tourist Trophy Circuit: a 22-kilometre layout that was used between 1928 and1936.
Legendary drivers such as Tazio Nuvolari and Rudi Caracciola took part in the race southeast of Northern Ireland’s capital Belfast, with Caracciola triumphing in 1929 and Nuvolari winning in 1930. Thousands of fans flocked to savour the action and event organisers hope to recreate the electric atmosphere. And to help mark the occasion, a Talbot 105 from the 1930s, owned by local enthusiast Nick Ward, will make a special ‘show’ appearance in Newtownards.
Conway Square in Newtownards will also host a time control that all crews contesting the ERC counter will have to pass through en route to the rally’s opening special stage. The Circuit of Ireland Rally is based in Belfast from 17-19 April. Further information, including the event itinerary, will be published shortly.
Pictured are Event Director Bobby Willis (right) and Mayor of Ards Stephen McIlveen.