Northern Irelanders Love Affair with Rallying

Abraham

What is it with Northern Irelanders and rallying ?
Just ask anyone what springs to mind when they think of Northern Ireland and televised sport and invariably the reply will be "Rallying".
Why does it fascinate them so ? Year in, year out, we are treated to shots of muddied minis careering around harepin bends and over humpback bridges with a voice telling us that this is XX or YY fairing badly or well as the case may be. It just must be a sport for participants primarily or maybe it's their NI egos that need the speed fix but honestly why do they continue to do do it ?
Are they just supressed boyracers aching for attention or what ?

mike65

Not just rallying, motorbikes are also huge. I think it was a by-product of the the troubles myself. A way of blowing off steam without getting killed (often) or hassled by the RUC.

Matt Simis

Abraham wrote: »

What is it with Northern Irelanders

Irelanders? West Englanders?
Northern Irish surely?

Fey!

Rallying isn't confined to the north of the country. You'll find a huge amount of supporters throughout the country, with organised events all over the country including rallying, hillclimbs, sprints, and autocross. Check out Motorsport Ireland or Rallyforums, or, indeed, Boards.ie, for some more details.

S.I.R

if you ever take the back roads to the north you'll know why, id be hook too !

JackFrosty

Most NI reg cars this side of the border think they are in a rally! nutters behind the wheel!!!

Terrontress

Abraham wrote: »

What is it with Northern Irelanders and rallying ?
Just ask anyone what springs to mind when they think of Northern Ireland and televised sport and invariably the reply will be "Rallying".
Why does it fascinate them so ? Year in, year out, we are treated to shots of muddied minis careering around harepin bends and over humpback bridges with a voice telling us that this is XX or YY fairing badly or well as the case may be. It just must be a sport for participants primarily or maybe it's their NI egos that need the speed fix but honestly why do they continue to do do it ?
Are they just supressed boyracers aching for attention or what ?

The Scottish love it too. It must be something to do with being a protestant.

Abraham

The sport, if such it be, seems to enjoy unrivalled TV access which puts the action right in your face. It's a low spectator sport, there's no mega bucks involved as in the other kinds of motor racing, it can hardly be said to be uplifting of the nation's youth except in a peripheral way, it's testosterone driven in the main, it's hugely intrusive of the life of ordinary everyday folk as they go about their daily business publicly so how can it continue to be acceptable and command such time and coverage on the airwaves ?
It all seems to be for the gratification of the drivers.

O.K., the Northern Irish ( O.K. - MS ? ) within a select band seem to be infatuated by it, but who else gives a honk ?

mike65

Its loud and cheap tv?

maidhc

Abraham wrote: »

The sport, if such it be, seems to enjoy unrivalled TV access which puts the action right in your face. It's a low spectator sport, there's no mega bucks involved as in the other kinds of motor racing, it can hardly be said to be uplifting of the nation's youth except in a peripheral way, it's testosterone driven in the main, it's hugely intrusive of the life of ordinary everyday folk as they go about their daily business publicly so how can it continue to be acceptable and command such time and coverage on the airwaves ?
It all seems to be for the gratification of the drivers.

O.K., the Northern Irish ( O.K. - MS ? ) within a select band seem to be infatuated by it, but who else gives a honk ?

It has a reasonably big following in most of rural Ireland to be fair. I would answer your charges as follows:

1) It doesn't have unrivalled TV access unless you count the odd time there are highlights at about 11pm on a weekday. Personally I detest football, but I don't have a problem with it taking up half the newspaper and entire evenings on TV.

2) There is (was) pretty major money in WRC rallying. Looks like the works teams are now pulling out.

3) The Cork 20 rally goes outside my door (literally) one day every 3 or so years. Again, no big deal.

4) It is one of the few motorsports "ordinary" people can get involved in.

5) There is a long history of rallying in Ireland, particularly in the north (probably starting with the Gordon Bennett in 1903)

I know some people who follow rallys all over Ireland. I don't and have little more than a passing interest in it, but seriously, if you don't like it, don't expect the rest of the population to bow to your whims.

tu2j2

Abraham wrote: »

The sport, if such it be, seems to enjoy unrivalled TV access which puts the action right in your face. It's a low spectator sport, there's no mega bucks involved as in the other kinds of motor racing, it can hardly be said to be uplifting of the nation's youth except in a peripheral way, it's testosterone driven in the main, it's hugely intrusive of the life of ordinary everyday folk as they go about their daily business publicly so how can it continue to be acceptable and command such time and coverage on the airwaves ?
It all seems to be for the gratification of the drivers.

O.K., the Northern Irish ( O.K. - MS ? ) within a select band seem to be infatuated by it, but who else gives a honk ?

ME

Frankly I find it doesn't get near enough coverage, highlights in the middle of the night and 30 seconds on the radio if there's nothing else on. First round of the WRC on in Ireland at the end of January and bar 1 ad on the telly most people don't seem to care.

Its not just the north thats mad about it although every time I go up there your bound to see hundreds of subaru, mitsibishi and ford jackets

I think I'm correct in saying that Ireland has the highest amount of private WRC cars in the world, should be interesting to see how rallying holds up for the next year or will numbers start dwindling as money gets tighter