Eugene Donnelly pulls out of the toddsleap.com Ulster Rally 2008

Posted by RallyScott 15 August, 2008

Donnelly has been forced to withdraw from next weekend's Ulster Rally, citing funding issues connected to the current economic climate. Donnelly told the Belfast Telegraph that he had no option but to pull out. It looks like he will also miss the Cork 20 Rally which he had originally planned to contest as well.

Donnelly made his comeback on June's Donegal Rally, which he won, after being forced out of the sport since the Galway Rally at the start of the year. Again, the issue for the forced sabbatical was funding. He bought the Fabia back off Graig Bennett with the view of contesting Donegal, Ulster and Cork but his win in Donegal appears to have been his final ITRC outing in 2008.

Donnelly explained to the Belfast Telegraph's Sammy Hamill:

Finding funding for rallying at the moment is virtually impossible. It is an expensive sport and companies find it hard to justify pouring money into sponsorship when they may be faced with laying people off.

My Tarmac title may have gone but I was hoping to finish the season by doing the final two rounds, the Ulster and the Cork ‘20’, to set myself up for next season. But the current economic situation makes that impossible. It is disappointing, especially after we had made such good progress with the Skoda in Donegal, but I have had to be sensible and accept that the funding just isn’t in place.”

Edit from rally.ie: Donnelly tried desperately to get Kris Meeke into the car as his replacement, but with Kris competing at Rally Germany, there was simply not enough time to secure sponsorship.

More sponsor woes for Eugene

Eugene Donnelly pulls out of the toddsleap.com Ulster Rally 2008