Britain’s concluding round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB (WRGB), is less than a month away, and to kick-start the countdown the organisers have been touring mid and north Wales to showcase the international spectacle that is to hit the country between 12-15 November.With the help of Hyundai UK and Welsh Junior World Rally Championship driver Osian Pryce, the week-long roadshow brought Wales Rally GB to the people over several key locations and attractions as well as to sponsors across mid and north Wales. Starting with trips to Newtown town centre, iconic Chirk Castle and Deeside Service Park on Wednesday 7 October, the tour encompassed the official Media Day at Llyn Brenig, Wrexham town centre, Broughton Shopping Park and a hands-on visit to meet enthusiastic students at Glyndŵr University.The roadshow also dropped in on local sponsors – Brenig Construction and GreenThumb – before closing in spectacular fashion on Sunday 11 October amid the unique surroundings at Portmeirion, shortly after a pit stop on the promenade at Llandudno.Newtown town centre was the week’s first port of call as WRGB took to Broad Street – welcomed by rally fans, shoppers, and County Councillors alike. The town will play host to the Remote Tyre Zone for Wales Rally GB on Friday 13 November, when the streets are due to be lined with the world’s best rally cars and drivers.On from Newtown, the roadshow headed north to Chirk Castle just outside Oswestry. Wales Rally GB’s Hyundai Santa Fe – part of Hyundai’s fleet of official WRGB support and safety vehicles – along with Osian with his Citroen DS3 rally car were joined by top National Rally competitor Dennis Parry and co-driving son Matthew in their Subaru Impreza to put on a display with stunning Chirk Castle and the surrounding countryside acting as the picture-perfect backdrop.The final stop on a packed day one was at the Toyota Engine Plant in Deeside, which hosts the hustle and bustle of the Service Park come Wales Rally GB week – open 12-15 November offering free of charge entertainment for fans of all ages.On day two the roadshow joined a cast of rallying luminaries, a host of iconic cars and local dignitaries at a busy Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre on Denbigh Moor. The setting overlooked Brenig reservoir, which will host Wales Rally GB’s Power Stage conclusion next month – the final competitive showdown of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship.Lucky competition winners enjoyed an exhilarating blast along Brenig’s back-roads alongside the likes of Welsh rally drivers Tom Cave and Elfyn Evans thanks to WRGB sponsors Jolly Good Vehicle Hire – Wales Rally GB’s Official Show Partner.A visit to St Asaph-based lawn care company, GreenThumb, allowed the Citroen to line up alongside the company's promotional Camper Van, after which the roadshow called in at Brenig Construction as the final port of call on day two. Pryce left the Old Colwyn firm’s quarry echoing to the tune of his DS3 and the company’s employees thrilled as he fired up his car as part of the display.On Friday 9 October, Wrexham was the destination as WRGB journeyed to the heart of the town and Queens Square to be welcomed by shoppers and visitors as well as members of the town council from the adjacent council headquarters.That afternoon, an enthusiastic Glyndŵr University troupe, headed up by Programme Leader in Automotive Engineering Olivier Durieux, crowded around Pryce’s Citroen DS3 – displayed at the University’s motor sport facilities. Students and staff were keen to see its inner workings and glean engineering expertise for their own University motor sport engineering projects and quizzed Osian on his career and organisers on where best to see such machines driven in anger when the FIA World Rally Championship arrives in Wales next month.To start the weekend leg of the trip, the roadshow set up shop at Broughton Shopping Park, drawing crowds with the help of local rally enthusiasts Broughton and Bretton Car Club, who brought along a rally-spec Ford Escort Mk2 and a Peugeot 106 to display alongside the DS3 and the Hyundai Santa Fe safety vehicle. Members of the public poked around inside each, quizzed organisers and posed for photos with the cars as well as the MSA’s loveable mascot – Marshal.On Sunday 11 October the roadshow drew to a close when the fifth and final leg headed firstly to the promenade at Llandudno – the town hosting WRGB’s Ceremonial Start (12 November) as part of Conwy County Borough Council's commitment as host county. The cars drew the crowds on the picturesque promenade, again providing members of the public to get up close to a vehicle that will be blasting around the nearby Great Orme peninsular at Wales Rally GB next month.Rounding off the roadshow was the curtain call at the famous and unique setting of Portmeirion – a spectacular backdrop for the stars of the show – the Hyundai and Osian’s DS3. Even in the distinctive surrounds, made famous by the sixties television series ‘The Prisoner’, the two vehicles turned heads as they squeezed through the village’s tiny winding streets and down the the quayside for all to see up close.Ben Taylor – Managing Director of Wales Rally GB“It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to bring the event to the people through the roadshow and I'd like to thank Osian for giving up valuable time from his busy schedule. It’s important for us to take the rally to the towns and villages of north and mid Wales to share the excitement of a world championship event with local people in the region. Everyone’s really embraced the rally since it’s moved to north Wales and we’re looking forward to seeing even more of them on the stages and in the Service Park next month.”Joy Jones – Newtown County Councillor “Wales Rally GB is brilliant as it helps put us on the map. To bring visitors into our lovely town and show them what we have to offer is great for the local economy. We are delighted that the Wales Rally GB roadshow started in Newtown and we cannot wait for November to see Broad Street full of colour and cars.”Howard Vaughan – Director at Brenig Construction “This is the first time we will be involved in Wales Rally GB, supporting a fantastic event for north Wales. We will be helping set-up the Deeside Service Park by supplying labour and trade expertise in order to bring the Service Park into life before rally week.“It was great to have Osian and Wales Rally GB visit our headquarters so our staff could get up and close to a rally car and star and get them excited for November. To hear the Citroen DS3 fire up in the quarry was incredible and something I will never forget.”Olivier Durieux – Programme Leader in Automotive Engineering - Glyndŵr University“The University each year gets more involved with Wales Rally GB and to have it visit us was a fantastic opportunity. To get an insight into the work, preparation and input into a world class event as well as what is needed to prepare a high performance car was great for our students.“To have access to a top driver in the form of Osian and get close to a Junior World Rally Car will mean we will transfer the knowledge from the visit into our own racing teams and projects in the future.”Meurig Jones – Attractions Manager at Portmeirion“It was great to be involved with an important event for north Wales and we were honoured to welcome the Wales Rally GB team and Osian Pryce to Portmeirion. The stunning village backdrop offered the perfect canvas for the rally car and Hyundai and also offered up the opportunity for the perfect picture. We look forward to being involved again in future years.”

With public interest on a high and with two British drivers to the fore, huge numbers are expected in the legendary Welsh forests in November. Tickets are already selling fast, with large numbers taking advantage of the significant price reductions on offer for those booking in advance.The four-day World Rally Pass is the all-inclusive ticket for fans. It provides access to all the individual Special Stages as well as Thursday’s pre-event Shakedown. It is priced at £99 for adults (or just £1 for accompanied children aged 9-15) and comes with a desirable hard card and lanyard plus an event programme valued at £9. 


Forest Passes offer a similar level of flexibility as the World Rally Pass but for individual days of the event. Again they include an official programme and can be purchased in advance from just £25 – a considerable saving on Single Stage tickets which will cost £30 on the gate.

Tickets for the family-friendly RallyFest at Chirk Castle are available now for £25 with an even greater discount for families. Full ticket information can be found on WalesRallyGB.com.