Zoom Grönholm enjoyed what he saw in Portugal

At a press conference hosted last week by Carlos Barbosa, President of the Portuguese Automobile Club, the CEO and President of Eurosport Events Jacques Behar outlined the plans for the future of the IRC in 2008 and beyond.

Also present at the pre-event press conference were former World Champion Marcus Grönholm – who drove the 'zero' car in Portugal – as well as Freddy Loix (Peugeot Belgium), Anton Alen (Abarth), Andreas Aigner (Mitsubishi) and Bruno Magalhaes (the 2007 Portuguese Champion).

Behar outlined some of the key innovations for the current IRC season, such as the development of the sport's coverage and rights, and the creation of the IRC 2WD Cup. He also spoke of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's calendar strategy for the coming years.

"For the moment we have ten rallies, but we would like to grow this to between 10 and 12 rallies in the future," he said. "In 2009 we will start with the Monte Carlo Rally, which will begin on Wednesday 21 January and end on Saturday 24 January. "

"We are pleased to note that the media coverage of the IRC is growing all over the world, and we are delighted to see this growth continue," added the Eurosport Events President. "This is an important season for the IRC, and we are particularly pleased to be at the Rally de Portugal for the first time with a fantastic entry of top cars."

Carlos Barbosa, the President of the Portuguese Automobile Club, said that he was "very happy for the IRC to come to Portugal this year, especially with such a high-quality field."

Marcus Grönholm, the 2000 and 2002 World Rally Champion who retired at the end of last season, commented: "The IRC seems to be a very interesting series, with many drivers able to win. The ideas behind the IRC are certainly worth thinking about."

D.B. © CAPSIS International