Organisers of the Circuit of Ireland Rally have announced that due to the event’s huge success in 2014 it has been rewarded and will once again be part of the prestigious FIA European Rally Championship in 2015.

The top motorsport event will be the third of ten rounds in the ERC schedule, the first asphalt race in the tournament and the only UK and Ireland based event in the Championship.  Keeping its traditional Easter slot the Circuit of Ireland Rally will take place from Thursday 2nd April to Saturday 4th April 2015. The 2015 Circuit will also be counting rounds of the 2015 Irish Tarmac Championship and the Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

The provisional list of dates issued by the ERC promoter, Eurosport Events, on Friday 7th November followed a meeting of the FIA Rally Commission. The schedule will now go to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for final ratification when it meets in Qatar on 3rd December 2014.

Welcoming the news, Event Director, Bobby Willis said: “The Circuit of Ireland was a sensational success this year which more than lived up to its billing of ‘legendary’ status by the ERC.  We are delighted to have retained that honour for 2015 and plan to further build on our international reputation and profile.

“Over 14 million viewers across the world watched the various stages in 2014 on Eurosport and its global media partners.  The Circuit also demonstrated its international popularity with over a quarter of our visitors originating from outside Northern Ireland.  A full entry list also saw 14 nations represented among the competing teams.

“It is our goal to make it even bigger and better next year.  We’ve already started talks with teams and individuals interested in competing and I’m confident that the quality of the line-up will be exceptional.  The Circuit of Ireland is firmly back at the premium end of the international rally arena and we are really looking forward to an exciting Championship programme.”

Jean-Baptiste Ley, ERC General Co-ordinator said: "We are very pleased the Circuit of Ireland Rally will form an important part of the ERC schedule for 2015. As expected, this year's event proved a great success with fantastic stages, including two in town centres, lots of fans, an excellent service park in Belfast's Titanic Quarter, plus the enthusiasm and professionalism of a dedicated and hard-working organising team."