The High Court has halted the convening of a meeting to decide the calendar for motorsports events in Ireland for 2024 and 2025.
Mr Justice Brian O'Moore granted an order restraining the holding of the meeting by sport's governing body, the Irish Motorsport Federation, trading as Motorsport Ireland (MI).
The application for the order was made by County Galway Motor Club CLG, which organises one of the largest and longest running stage/international rallies in Galway every year.
The meeting to assign dates and prepare calendars for events to take place over 2024/2025 was due to go ahead on Wednesday night, but hours before it was to take place, the judge granted Hugh McDowell BL, for the Galway club, the order following an ex-parte application, with only the Galway side represented.
The judge also granted an order restraining the defendant from interfering with, limiting or excluding the Galway club from participation in assigning dates pending further order. The judge said the matter could come back next week.
In an affidavit, Gary Leonard, president of Galway Motor Club, said his club organises the Galway International Rally as well as various other racing competitions in the city and county.
In order to do so, the club's members must be affiliated to MI as the cost of obtaining a competition licence would be significant and members would also not be entitled to obtain a licence allowing them to officiate at the events.
Dispute
Arising out of a dispute over the holding of a meeting between the Galway club and MI following concerns from MI about the running of the 2023 Galway rally last February, MI said it was going to suspend Galway Motor Club for 45 days.
A meeting then took place between the parties in March and the suspension threat was withdrawn, Mr Leonard said.
However, MI said one of its overseeing bodies, the Rallies Commission "may wish to do a more in depth investigation" with regards to a steward’s report about the 2023 Galway rally. MI also said a complaint made by the Galway club against the MI safety delegate at that event was continuing to be investigated.
Mr Leonard said his club did not hear anything more about the Rallies Commission investigation until May 5th when the club was informed that arising from the investigation, MI's Motor Sports Council had decided Galway would not be granted a date for any stage rally in 2024.
He said the club was extremely surprised at this as it was never put on notice, or invited to make submissions beforehand, in contravention of the club affiliation agreement to MI, and in breach of fair procedures and due process.
A meeting was arranged for the end of June with a view to resolving the matter but when no information was forthcoming about the material on which the penalty was based, Galway Motor Club's solicitors wrote seeking the information. But, Mr Leonard said, there was still no response.
Mr Leonard said he learned from another local club that a meeting had been set for July 12 in Portlaoise to agree the rally dates for 2024 and 2025.
When Mr Leonard raised this with MI, the only response he got was that MI was willing to provide assistance to facilitate Galway returning to running a stage rally in 2025.
Mr Leonard accepted there were issues arising from the 2023 Galway rally related to pre-event planning but his club had taken proactive steps to address any such issues. The complaint made about MI's safety delegate added to the issues and that complaint has still not been dealt with apart from one meeting to discuss it, he said.
The future of the Galway Motor Club was at risk due to the unilateral actions of MI and/or its Motorsports Council who acted in breach of the affiliation agreement, in breach of MI's own general competition rules and in breach of due process and fair procedures, he said.
MI had at all stages attempted to frustrate and prevent the Galway club from engaging with it in order to resolve the issues prior to calendar dates being set for the next two years, he added.
