Friday 9th August 1901

The first rally race in Ireland, sponsored by the Irish Automobile Club, was held as 12 cars attempted an organised journey from Dublin to Waterford. A rally took place over a specified public route with a driver and navigator straining to maintain a breakneck pace from checkpoint to checkpoint. The course was generally kept secret until the race began. Rally racing became extremely popular after World War II, and weekend rallies became common worldwide. The longest rally took place in 1977, over 19,239 miles from London to Sydney.