All-new ‘Wales Rally GB National’ is confirmed
Wales Rally GB, one of the largest and most iconic UK motorsport events, has confirmed the format for an all-new National B status rally to run on the Saturday and Sunday alongside this year’s World Rally Championship (WRC) round, taking place on the 11th – 14th November.
‘Wales Rally GB National’ will offer Britain’s amateur rally drivers the rare opportunity to compare their times with the world’s best professional drivers over six timed special stages - normally the reserve of established WRC teams.
The 255 mile National rally includes 65 miles of competitive driving over classic Welsh forest stages and the challenge of a mixed-surface stage on the remote military roads of Mynydd Epynt, near Brecon.
The event will be open to a wide variety of historic and modern rally-prepared cars.
The National rally will include four timed special stages on the Saturday, including the ultra fast 13.8km Radnor Forest* stage and the mixed surfaces of the 25.1km Crychan test. On Sunday morning the crews will travel to the Vale of Neath in South Wales to face the daunting 30.7km Resolfen stage high above Glyn-Neath and the final timed special stage in the easily accessed and spectator friendly Margam Park, near Port Talbot.
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The Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells will provide the location for the Saturday start, lunchtime servicing and overnight halt for the National event. This well-known mid-Wales venue will also host the remote service park for the International competitors on both Friday and Saturday.
The Wales Rally GB National ceremonial finish will take place in Cardiff Bay on the Wales Rally GB podium on the Sunday afternoon, prior to the return of the WRC cars for their champagne celebrations.
Andrew Coe, chief executive of the event organiser, International Motor Sports Limited, commented: “This year’s Wales Rally GB is bigger and better than ever and the whole organising team, myself included, is delighted to be launching the National B status event. The introduction of the category to the event will open up Wales Rally GB to the very backbone of British rallying - the very people that make the sport such a success in the UK. I am truly looking forward to seeing our home grown talent competing alongside the world’s finest in November.”
The National B section of Wales Rally GB has a capacity for 40 cars. Entries open with the publication of regulations on Friday 10th September and close on Monday 1st November. The entry fee is £575 (including VAT).
Further information regarding ‘Wales Rally GB National’ can be found on the official Wales Rally GB website www.walesrallygb.com
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For further information please contact Zoe Liberty at Prova on 01926 776900 or zoel@provapr.co.uk or John Horton on 01213 782828 or john@jhmm.co.uk
Notes to editors:
*The Radnor Forest stage is only 90 minutes and less than 60 miles from the Birmingham conurbation
Wales Rally GB:
www.walesrallygb.com is the official website and provides regular news updates and a link to copyright-free images.
Since its inception in 1932 the rally has been run 65 times; this year's event will be the 66th edition. Enforced stoppages have included World War 2, Suez Crisis (1957) and Foot and Mouth (1967).
Wales Rally GB is the British and final round of this year’s 13-round FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). To date, it is one of only two events (along with Finland) to have retained its status as both a qualifying and scoring round of the WRC since the championship was established in 1973.
In addition, this November’s Wales Rally GB is the 10th and final round of the FIA Super-2000 World Rally Championship, the ninth and final round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, and the seventh and final round of the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy International.
Wales Rally GB is held annually and is organised and promoted by International Motor Sports Ltd (IMS), the commercial arm of the Berkshire-based Motor Sports Association, the governing body of motor sport in the UK. Cardiff has hosted the rally since 2000 and the Welsh Assembly Government has been title sponsor since 2003.
