The Department of Economic Development the main sponsor for the 2011 Rally Isle of Man, has expressed its disappointment that the 2011 event will not be taking place. The decision was taken by the Rally’s Board of Directors following a series of factors that have affected the number of entries received for the event and the fact that a suitable date could not be found in the 2012 BRC Rally, Challenge or Historic Rally calendars. Colin Kniveton, Chief Executive for the Department commented: “We are very disappointed that the event has had to be cancelled this year due to the reasons given by the Rally IOM committee and that a date in the diary could not be found for next year. We have liaised closely with the rally organisers to find a workable solution and it is a great pity that it has not been possible to justify the considerable resources, financial and otherwise that are required to stage an event of this nature. We will continue to work with the event organisers to see if a suitable result can be achieved for 2013 that meets all of our objectives.” Ends