The Carlisle based Pirelli International rally is attracting world wide interest, both from competitors and manufacturers but especially from the media with the rallies Media Manager, Ed Graham, receiving enquiries and interest from motoring journalists across Europe and a good number of foreign accents are due to be heard when the famous Border city hosts the opening round of the 2006 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship.

Within hours of the Media Accreditation application forms being issued, the first one was returned from Ciara Conlon representing Pacenotes, Ireland’s leading motorsport journal, this was followed almost immediately by an application from David Limage, Belgium’s foremost rally journalist, who incidently has Cumbrian connections, his mother was born and raised in Nenthead!!

Other International journalists who have expressed an interest in the Pirelli International Rally include Finnish duo Jarno Saari and Peter Geitel (Kuvaldhet magazine), Sweden’s Christer Bloefeldt from World Rally News, Anthony Gauchy from the French magazine Promorallye and Eric.Dupain, a Belgian who writes for a number of European motoring publications.

Major motor manufacturers are also backing the rally with Ford, Peugeot, Mitsubishi and Subaru looking to have a presence at the rally and it would seem that the Media Centre, located this year at Carlisle Airport, is going to be a very busy place indeed.