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Wales Rally GB is here!
Tom Magnay 0 Comments
It’s the biggest week of the UK rally calendar, the one we’ve all been waiting for – the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (26-29 October) has arrived!
All the top teams were busy testing last week, and now it’s onto the recce and the challenging four-day event. It’s a fantastic route this year and the purists will undoubtedly head for those classic forest stages. But if you’re a rally virgin or you’re taking the family to watch, the opening Visit Conwy Tir Prince stage on Thursday evening, the Toyota RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle on Saturday or a visit to the service park in Deeside are highly recommended.
Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship has attracted a truly world-class field, with 14 of the new-era WRC cars from Citroën, Hyundai, M-Sport and Toyota.
The penultimate round of the WRC could be a title-decider, after one of the closest-fought seasons in which six drivers from all four competing manufacturers have claimed wins. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have their first chance to take an impressive fifth world title, while their M-Sport team looks set to clinch what would be an emotional and historic victory in the Manufacturers’ Championship on home soil. After two no-scores in Germany and Spain, Thierry Neuville - previously Ogier’s nearest rival - has gone from leading the Championship on equal points after nine of the 13 rounds to third position, 38 points adrift of the Frenchman and one point behind second-placed Ott Tänak. Both Tänak and Neuville mathematically have everything still to fight for, but victory for Ogier or a 31-point lead would seal the title in Wales. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, M-Sport needs to get one of its registered cars to the finish to score four points and claim a momentous victory for the British based outfit.
An impressive entry of 79 cars for the international event is the biggest field since the rally moved to north Wales in 2013, so competition will be fierce in all the categories, not least in WRC2, where 23 crews will be fighting for honours.
Whoever masters the iconic Welsh forest stages and drives into Llandudno on Sunday afternoon as the winner, after all 21 special stages have been completed, will be a very worthy champion indeed.
This year’s WRGB route is below and more details, including where you can get tickets from, can be found on www.walesrallygb.com.
And to all competitors, officials and spectators – have a safe and successful Wales Rally GB!
Thursday 26 October:
SS1: Visit Conwy Tir Prince
Friday 27 October:
SS2: Myherin 1
SS3: Sweet Lamb 1
SS4: Hafren 1
Regroup: Newtown
SS5: Myherin 2
SS6: Sweet Lamb 2
SS7: Hafren 2
Service: Deeside Rally Village
Saturday 28 October:
SS8: Aberhirnant 1
SS9: Dyfnant 1
SS10: Gartheiniog 1
SS11: Dyfi 1
Regroup: Corris
SS12: Gartheiniog 2 (Live TV)
SS13: Dyfi 2
SS14: Cholmondeley Castle RallyFest
Service: Deeside Rally Village
SS15: Aberhirnant 2
SS16: Dyfnant 2
Service: Deeside Rally Village
Sunday 29 October:
SS17: Alwen 1
SS18: Brenig 1
SS19: Gwydir
SS20: Alwen 2
Regroup: Brenig
SS21: Brenig 2 (Power Stage – Live TV)
Ceremonial Finish: Mostyn Street, Llandudno
