With just over five weeks to go until the start of the Circuit of Ireland Rally, two of Ireland’s top drivers took a break in their training to help officially launch this year's event in Lisburn.

Craig Breen, who currently sits second in the European Rally Championship following his recent win in Latvia, and WRC Citroen Racing Team driver, Dungannon's Kris Meeke, joined Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and Circuit of Ireland Rally Event Director Bobby Willis to give fans a taste of what's in store this year.

The 2015 event, which will be held from Thursday April 2 to Saturday April 4, is one of 10 rallies in the prestigious FIA European Rally Championship calendar and will be the only round of the ERC in the UK and Ireland.

Last year over 74,000 people came to view the stunning stages across counties Antrim and Down and the event, broadcast by Eurosport, was seen by over 14 million across the world.

The Circuit received another boost last week when it emerged that world famous actor Idris Elba, who played Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom, is to compete in this year's event as part of a new Discovery TV series where he pushes himself to the limit on a range of sporting challenges.

Fans will have several opportunities to see the rally action over Easter weekend. The Qualifying Stage of the Rally will be based at Ballycultra Village, at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum on Thursday 2 April, followed by a ceremonial start at Belfast City Hall that evening.

Spectator Stages will take place in Newtownards on Friday 3 April and Lisburn on Saturday 4 April. Downpatrick will be a regroup area on Friday while on Saturday Banbridge and Hillsborough Castle will play host to teams regrouping.

The rally will finish back in Belfast on the evening of Saturday April 4 and the winner will be crowned at Belfast's Titanic Quarter, the site of the Rally HQ and Service Park, which will welcome competitors and team personnel over four days from Wednesday 1 April.

Organisers are in the process of finalising arrangements for what promises to be a bumper few days of motorsport and the management team is calling for additional volunteers to join the existing team of marshals. For more details log onto www.circuitofireland.net or call the volunteer hotline (NI) 07956 612235 or RoI 00353 (0) 8572 39426.

Pictured is Circuit of Ireland Rally Event Director Bobby Willis with Councillor Billy Walker, Mayor of Lisburn Andrew Ewing, World Rally Championship star Kris Meeke and Councillor Stephen Dunne