First ever Laois Forestry Rally will take place this October

Laois Rally Sport Club has announced that the first-ever Laois Forestry Rally will take place this October.

The inaugural event will be officially titled the IDS Laser Laois Forestry Rally 2026, following the confirmation of Portlaoise-based IDS Laser as title sponsor. B Dowling Transport will provide further backing to the event as associate sponsor.

Organised by Laois Rally Sport Club, the rally will feature 65 kilometres of competitive stages in a compact three-stage, twice-run format, giving competitors six stages over the course of the event.

One of the main attractions will be the opportunity to compete on stages that have not been run in living memory. The unfamiliar roads will provide a fresh challenge for crews and place an increased emphasis on strong pacenotes and the ability to adapt quickly from the opening stage.

Competitor convenience has also been placed at the centre of the event’s planning. A compact weekend service park will be available to crews from Saturday morning until theconclusion of the rally on Sunday.

The service park will be conveniently positioned in relation to the trailer park, parc fermé, scrutiny and rally office, providing competitors and service crews with a practical and accessible base for the entire weekend.

Pat O’Connor, Clerk of the Course for the event, said: “This is a very significant and exciting moment for Laois Rally Sport Club. Bringing the first ever Laois Forestry Rally to the calendar is something our club is immensely proud of, and we are looking forward to welcoming competitors, officials, volunteers and rally supporters to Laois in October.

“From the beginning, we have aimed to create an event that offers a real sporting challenge while also being straightforward and convenient for competitors. The three-stage, twice-run format will provide 65 kilometres of competitive action, while the opportunity to compete on stages that have not been run in living memory should make this a particularly interesting event for crews.

“The compact service park and the proximity of the trailer park, parc fermé, scrutiny and rally office will also allow teams to establish themselves in one convenient location for the weekend.

“We are delighted to welcome IDS Laser as the title sponsor of this historic event and B Dowling Transport as our associate sponsor. Their support is hugely important and gives Laois Rally Sport Club the platform to deliver the event to the standard expected by competitors and everyone involved in Irish rallying.”

The partnership with IDS Laser brings together two Laois-based organisations with a shared focus on precision, performance and professionalism. Based on Mountrath Road in Portlaoise, IDS Laser provides precision engineering solutions and metal fabrication services to customers throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Operating as part of the IDS Group—an Irish engineering business with a proud heritage dating back to 1976—the company is celebrating its 50th year in business. What better way to mark this milestone than by proudly supporting the inaugural Laois Forest Rally 2026 as the event's main sponsor. IDS Laser offers a comprehensive range of in-house engineering services, including Fibre 4G laser cutting, laser engraving, laser welding, CNC bending, polishing, profiling, plasma cutting, design, and multi-material fabrication. Backed by state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, the company delivers precision and quality across every project—from one-off prototypes and bespoke fabrications to large-scale, high-volume production runs.

Trevor Brennan of IDS Laser said: “IDS Laser is extremely proud to become the title sponsor of the first Laois Forestry Rally. As a Portlaoise-based company, we are delighted to support an ambitious new event being organised by Laois Rally Sport Club.

“Precision, reliability, performance and expertise are at the heart of everything we do at IDS Laser, and those values are equally important in motorsport. This partnership is therefore a natural fit for our company. “We look forward to working with Laois Rally Sport Club and B Dowling Transport to help make the inaugural event a memorable occasion for the competitors, volunteers, supporters and the wider Laois community.”

Laois Rally Sport Club has also welcomed the important support of B Dowling Transport as associate sponsor. The backing of both companies will play a key role in helping the organising team establish the Laois Forestry Rally as an exciting new addition to the Irish rallying calendar. The event takes place on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Further information regarding entries, regulations and event arrangements will be released by Laois Rally Sport Club in the lead-up to the rally.

Event updates will be available through laoisrallyclub.ie.