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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
· Draft route issued to FIA and WRC Teams for approval prior to formal launch on
4th June.
· Start, Finish and Rally HQ hosted by Cardiff for ninth year.
·
Service Park stays in Swansea.
· Return to Special Stages in Mid Wales.
A draft route and itinerary for December's Wales Rally GB has now been submitted
to the FIA and WRC Manufacturer teams for their comments and approval. Subject
to all parties agreeing, the final route, timetable and schedule of Special
Stages will be confirmed at a formal launch in Cardiff on Wednesday 4th
June.
The Ceremonial Start on the evening of Thursday 4th and the Finish
in the early afternoon on Sunday 7th will both be in Cardiff and for the fourth
consecutive year Rally Headquarters and the "Cardiff Special Stage" will be in
the Millennium Stadium.
The City and County of Swansea will host the
Service Park in the prestigious SA1 Waterfront Development on the site first
used last year. Thursday's Shakedown stage will again be in Penllergaer Forest,
accessed by a Park and Ride service.
For the first time since 2000 the
rally will return to Forestry Commission roads in mid Wales. Three stages will
run during Day 1 on Friday 5th December and feature a dedicated spectator area.
In addition there will be a number of new roads to increase the challenge for
drivers and viewing opportunities for spectators.
Friday's competitive
route will conclude with two short spectator stages in Walters Arena, normally
part of the longer Rheola Forest stage. These will be run twice in quick
succession.
During Saturday 6th December the traditional Halfway Forest
and a shortened Crychan Forest stage near Llandovery will be run in the reverse
direction to last year. The 1.1 kilometre special stage held inside the
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff will again be the final stage of
Saturday.
On Sunday 7th December the Rheola stage will be identical to
last year and will incorporate the Walters Arena section that was used on the
first day, but the roads will have been re-graded. The Port Talbot stage will be
run in the reverse direction to last year.
Comprehensive details of the
route, timetable and stages, together with ticketing details will be announced
on 4th June in Cardiff.
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