Jordan lands role with Rally Ireland.

Eddie Jordan has been appointed chairman of Rally Ireland Management Ltd, the promoters for the Irish round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which will take place in November.

It is a major coup for the organisers' as the Dublin-born man is a well-known figure in motor sport circles, although less so in rallying and more in Formula 1, having founded the Jordan Grand Prix team, which he sold at the start of 2005.

"This is a huge sporting opportunity for Ireland," said Jordan. "We have a wealth of talent in motorsport, both as competitors and organisers, and being part of WRC will allow us to develop that talent for the future.

"Rally Ireland also gives us the opportunity to take a fresh approach to the planning and delivery of World Championship events and I believe the plans and strategies we are putting into place are creative, innovative and will become models of good practice within motorsport and beyond."

Former rugby international Trevor Ringland meanwhile has got the deputy chairman position, while the other members of the Rally Ireland Management Board are co-founders Se?n O'Connor and Ronan Morgan and chief executive officer David Marren.

Like Jordan, Ringland believes that Ireland's round of the WRC is a big opportunity: "Given the global exposure Rally Ireland will receive in over 200 countries, and the contribution of EUR46 million (?30 million) it is set to make to the economy here, this is a fabulous opportunity to showcase not only our sporting talent, but our capacity for co-operation and our ability to deliver as one of the best in the world," he added.

In a separate announcement, PCE Energy Management has been charged with trying to lessen Rally Ireland's environmental impact. It is hoped that the initiative will reduce the carbon footprint of the event by 50 per cent in its first year.