2010 Wales Rally GB Preview

RSL Staff

– November 9, 2010Posted in: Featured, News, WRC

Wales Rally GB, the final round of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship, is once again based in the country’s capital city, Cardiff. Rally Headquarters and the service park are both located at Cardiff Bay, as is a new special stage that will run on Thursday and Saturday evenings in the barrage and dock area.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the first ever forestry special stage being included in the route. The event was first run in 1932, but it was in 1960 that a short stretch of gravel road in Scotland – known as Monument Hill – was added. This was the first special stage on the route of the ‘RAC Rally’, as it was previously known. Over time, more and more special stages were included and quickly the event arrived at the format we know today. On Saturday, there will be two runs through a new ‘Monument Hill’ stage, commemorating the history-making road from 50 years ago.

In addition to the Cardiff Bay and Monument Hill tests, there is one other new stage – Radnor – which has not been included in the route for 11 years. Another additional challenge on Saturday is the Four Ways Crychan stage, which uses 11.15 km of asphalt road on military land before entering the forest for the final 14 km on gravel.

While both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships have been sealed by Sébastien Loeb and Citroën respectively*, Wales Rally GB is the final and decisive round of the FIA Super 2000 and FIA Production Car World Rally Championships. Additionally, Rally GB is the closing round for the 2010 Pirelli Star Drivers.

*Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA

RALLY DATA

Total distance: 1541.82 km

Stage distance: 344.96 km

Number of stages: 20

RALLY GB TIMETABLE AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA

Wednesday 10 November

Shakedown 19:00 – 22:00 hrs

Thursday 11 November

FIA press conference, Press Room, Wales Millennium Centre 13:30 hrs

Autograph signing session, Wales Millennium Centre (P3) 16:25 – 16:55 hrs

Autograph signing session, Wales Millennium Centre (WRC) 17:00 – 17:30 hrs

Start 18:20 hrs

SS1, Cardiff Bay 19:30 hrs

Friday 12 November

First car arrives for remote service and Media Zone, Builth Wells 12:10 hrs

First car arrives for end of day service and Media Zone, Cardiff 18:30 hrs

Saturday 13 November

First car arrives for remote service and Media Zone, Builth Wells 12:44 hrs

First car arrives for end of day service and Media Zone, Cardiff 18:46 hrs

Sunday 14 November

First car arrives for mid-day service and Media Zone, Cardiff 10:15 hrs

First car arrives for final service and Media Zone, Cardiff 14:40 hrs

Prize-giving and podium ceremony, Cardiff 15:25 hrs

FIA press conference, Press Room, Wales Millennium Centre 16:00 hrs

FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

Thursday 11 November

Patrik Sandell, FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship

Armindo Araújo, FIA Production Car World Rally Championship

Sébastien Ogier, Citroën Total World Rally Team

Jari-Matti Latvala, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team

Petter Solberg, Petter Solberg World Rally Team

Matthew Wilson, Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team

Sunday 14 November

Winning FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship crews

(event and Championship)

Winning FIA Production Car World Rally Championship crews

(event and Championship)

Top three crews in the overall classification

Representative of the winning entrant

ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

‘Meet the Crews’: On Friday and Saturday, the top three drivers will attend a ‘Meet the Crews’ session for media and fans. This will take place in the service park on the WRC Stage at the earliest opportunity during the end of day service.

Autograph Signing Session: On Friday and Saturday, selected crews will be available for a 15 minute autograph session. This will take place in the service park during the end of day service at the teams’ service areas.