Bumper world-class entry list for October’s Wales Rally GB

For those rally fans wanting to spectate at next month’s British round of the World Rally Championship, highlights Iain Robertson, it’s time to find your boots, woolly socks and colourful outdoor clothing before checking the maps and laying out your plans.

A star-studded line-up has been confirmed for round 12 of this year’s 14-round WRC, with an outstanding field of 59 international crews representing no fewer than 24 nations revving up to compete against-the-clock on a new-look route that starts in Liverpool (alongside the famous Liver Building, on the bank of the River Mersey) and features 22 gruelling special stages, the majority of which are set in the legendary Welsh forests.



The 2019 entry list is topped by four former winners: reigning world champion and five times Wales Rally victor Sébastien Ogier (FRA), Jari-Matti Latvala winner in 2011 (FIN), Elfyn Evans in 2017 (GBR) and Petter Solberg a four times previous victor (NOR). This year, Petter is competing against both his brother, Henning, and his 18-year-old son Oliver.



Ogier is driving a Citroën C3 WRC together with team-mate Esapekka Lappi (FIN). Latvala lines up alongside the hard-charging Kris Meeke (GBR) and current series leader Ott Tänak (EST) in a trio of Toyota Yaris WRCs, while Evans returns in one of three M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRCs. Although Hyundai cannot boast a previous event winner, its three-car entry of i20 Coupes is equally competitive, with Thierry Neuville (BEL), Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) and Irish ace Craig Breen all driving for the South Korean carmaker. Yet, hopes of a home victory have rarely been stronger.



Eleven more young stars of the future will be contesting the final round of the tightly packed FIA Junior WRC. This time Tom Williams represents Britain, but the title-decider is between a pair of Swedish and Spanish speeders: Tom Kristensson and Jan Solans. Past winners of the coveted JWRC crown include Ogier, Breen and Evans. Whether contesting for outright WRC, WRC2 class honours or the JWRC title, all face four days of unmissable action and will provide spectators with a feast of thrills and spills.



After the Ceremonial Start on Liverpool’s historic waterfront, Thursday evening’s curtain-raiser has moved to a new home at the popular Oulton Park circuit east of Chester. The action switches to the forests of Snowdonia and North Wales on Friday and then into mid Wales on ‘Super Saturday’ before contesting a family-friendly sprint up and down Colwyn Bay’s seafront, under the lights on Saturday Evening.



Sunday concludes with a blast around the tarmac of the Great Orme at Llandudno, plus four speed tests up on the moors around the Lynn Brenig Reservoir. The winners will be crowned back in Llandudno. Even before the world class entry was confirmed, tickets sales were running at record levels with a number of hospitality and grandstand options already totally sold-out.

Entry to the Ceremonial Start in Liverpool and the Service Park in Llandudno is totally free of charge, but a wide selection of tickets for the 22 competitive special stages are still on sale, with prices starting at £15 for the Saturday evening speed test in Colwyn Bay. Full details can be found on the official www.walesrallygb.com website.

MSG Summary

It’s not long to go before the high-speed thrills of rallying hit the stages of Wales again from 3rd to 6th October 2019. Arrive early to avoid parking problems!

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