Farewell IRC, long live ERC

As this weekend's final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge draws near, we know who's going to be champion. And we know, in all likelihood, who's going to win the rally. Congratulations to Skoda UK Motorsport and Andreas Mikkelsen.

But, here's a question for you. Two questions, in fact. Who won the first round of the IRC? And where was it?

I'll put you out of your misery. It was our very own AM... Alister McRae (in a Mitsubishi Lancer) and it was Zulu Rally South Africa in 2006.

In 2006, Eurosport ran a pilot International Rally Challenge over four rounds. A year later, with the green light from Eurosport Events HQ in Paris, a nine-round renamed Intercontinental Rally Challenge was revealed.

And it was truly inter-continental, visiting Africa (for the Safari Rally no less), China, a cluster of central European countries and Russia - a nation spanning eastern Europe and western Asia. Calendar-wise, the IRC was ahead of its time, visiting two of the three all-important and much lauded BRIC countries in its first full season. Two years later and a third BRIC nation was added to the IRC tour when Brazil's Curitiba Rally arrived on the schedule.

There are those in the World Rally Championship who would happily sell their elderly relatives to take the championship to one of those four, let alone three.

By late-2012, big names were drifting away and locals were dominating many events

And yet, despite going to the right places, the IRC has stalled. This year's championship battle had fizzled out almost before it began - and certainly well before a late-season, four-rally tour of Eastern Europe that included Romania, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Bulgaria. Seeing the IRC fade from the rallying conscious has been sad this season, especially when you consider the action from some of the series' past.

It took a while for the IRC to wind itself up, but with solid manufacturer backing from Abarth, Peugeot, Skoda and Proton, allied to a calendar blending classics like the Monte Carlo and Sanremo Rallies with cash-rich events like Madeira and Azores, we found ourselves in 2009.

And that was Kris Meeke's year. The Northern Irish driver forged links with an embryonic Peugeot UK team and hit the headlines immediately, winning three of the first four rallies he contested in a 207 S2000. Meeke's dream start continued through the season and he was duly crowned champion. Unfortunately, he took the title before the final round, the all-new Rally of Scotland, which rather took the wind out of the sails of Britain's newest and most exciting international rally.

No matter, the IRC had arrived and Britain embraced it. Having witnessed what Peugeot UK had done, Skoda's British importers bought into the IRC and deployed Guy Wilks in a factory-specification Fabia for the final 2009 round. Wilks won in Scotland, paving the way for a full assault from Skoda UK Motorsport in 2010.

This was the real purple patch for the series. Manufacturers were building great rally cars and then providing satellite teams like Kronos Racing to deliver a turn-key operation where the importers paid their money and arrived to find the car decaled in their flag and a team full of national fervour for whichever nationality was paying the bills.

The '09 season featured title glory for Meeke and the arrival of the Rally of Scotland

But that was only half of it. We had this odd situation where British car importers were going halfway around the world to compete in South America - where was the relevance to that for Coventry or Milton Keynes?

That relevance came partly through the exceptional and often groundbreaking television coverage provided by Eurosport and partly in the use Peugeot and Skoda made of the IRC in their marketing programmes. Remember Peugeot's television advert with Kris Meeke? And you really don't have to go far these days to be reminded of Skoda UK's support of all things rally.

Then the bubble burst. Abarth departed, Monte Carlo went back to the WRC, Peugeot pulled the plug on the 207 and the IRC really became a Fabia benefit.

Sixteen of the last 22 IRC rounds have been won by Skoda. Now, you could argue that Citroen has enjoyed similar dominance in the world championship, but the WRC is a well-established sporting conquest; a young series such as the IRC is very much dependent on the cut and thrust of competition. And that cut and thrust has gone.

And it's been replaced by apparent governance from Skoda HQ in Mlada Boleslav, with the Czech Republic firm seemingly deciding who's going to win which rally and who's going to be champion. And this year will complete Skoda's sixth title in three years - making it jointly (and fittingly for the two most supportive manufacturers) - the most successful make with Peugeot.

This weekend, the IRC will quietly disappear into the Cypriot sunset.

Before it does, we should be thankful for what we've had - and especially to Skoda UK, Peugeot UK and the Rally of Scotland for helping the IRC raise the profile of the sport in Britain.

Next year, Eurosport will be flexing its considerable televisual muscle on the European Rally Championship in what, for me, is probably the most positive step forward the ERC has ever taken. Increasingly the paths of the IRC and ERC were crossing and something had to give. The IRC was great while it lasted, but from next year onwards, the ERC's going to be where it's at.

And it's going to be fascinating to see if Eurosport Events' proven promotional ability can work to wake one of rallying's sleeping giants.