Rally GB 275036 218834750 2008-06-12T11:09:07Z Younger2007 5405523 /* Results */ [[Image:Manfred Stohl-2007 Wales Rally GB 002.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Manfred Stohl]] driving a [[Citroën Xsara WRC]] at the 2007 Rally GB.]] '''Wales Rally GB''' is the largest and most high profile [[rallying|motor rally]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. It is a round of the [[FIA]] [[World Rally Championship]] and [[Motor Sports Association|MSA]] [[British Rally Championship]] and is based in and around the city of [[Cardiff]] in [[Wales]]. From its first running in 1933 until the 53rd event in 1998, it was known as the '''RAC Rally''' until adopting its current name in 1999. ==History== ===1932 Royal Automobile Club Rally and Coachwork Competition=== The inaugural event was the 1932 Royal Automobile Club Rally, which was the first major rally of the modern era in [[Great Britain]]. Of the 367 crews entered, 341 competitors in unmodified cars started from nine different towns and cities (London, Bath, Norwich, Leamington, Buxton, Harrogate, Liverpool, Newcastle-on-Tyne and Edinburgh.) The Official Programme explained, ''"Different routes are followed from the nine starting points, each approximately 1,000 miles long, but all finishing at Torquay. On every route there are four controls in addition to the starting and finishing controls, and these are open for periods varying from seven to four hours. Competitors may report at these controls at any time during the hours of opening.......At the final control they must check in as near their fixed finishing time as possible, and any considerable deviation from this time results in loss of marks."'' As well as completing the route to a time schedule the competitors were required to perform a special test involving slow running, acceleration and braking. Additionally a [[Concours d'Elegance]] was held at the finish in Torquay. There was no official winner, although Colonel A H Loughborough in a [[Lanchester Motor Company|Lanchester 15/18]] was recorded as having the fewest penalty points in the decisive test at the finish.<ref>[http://www.ukmotorsport.com/networkq/1997/history.html "History of the RAC Rally"], UKMotorsport.com, September 23 1997</ref> ===Pre- & post-war years=== The following year's RAC Rally followed a similar format, but with [[Hastings]] as the chosen finish. Over three hundred competitors entered, and this time Miss Kitty Brunel, driving an [[AC Ace]], was the driver with the fewest penalties. The rally was run annually until 1939, after which the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] forced its suspension. However, it resumed in 1951, and has been contested every year since with only two exceptions, 1957 ([[Suez Crisis]]) and 1967 ([[Foot and Mouth Disease]]). This latter incident was on the eve of the event, so competitors staged a mock rally at the [[Bagshot]] proving ground as consolation for the press and television (ATV had been persuaded to provide major coverage with in-car cameras for the first time). ===Forest stages=== In 1960, organising secretary Jack Kemsley negotiated with the [[Forestry Commission]] to allow a two mile section of forest road in [[Argyll]], [[Scotland]] to be used as a competitive section. It proved enormously successful, and the following year forest roads all over the country were opened up to the drivers. This, combined with the introduction of special timing clocks and seeding of entries, secured the rally's future, and cemented its reputation as one of the most gruelling and unpredictable fixtures on the calendar.<ref>[http://www.carkeys.co.uk/columns/ross_finlay/1501.asp "Jack Kemsley And The Forests"], Ross Finlay, CarKeys.co.uk, December 9, 2001</ref> ===Mickey Mouse stages=== In 1971, 'Spectator Stages' were introduced and, by 1975 had become an important part of the event, usually at stately homes and other public venues like [[Sutton Park]]. The first day was, by then, devoted to these stages. Drivers did not enjoy them, and referred to them disparagingly as "Mickey Mouse stages" because of the lack of challenge they offered,<ref>[http://www.rallynews.net/~rallynews.net/public_html/2001/kent01/rally_news_no8.htm Francois Duval, "Unofficial Leaderboard after Stage 16 (final stage), Rally of Kent (Formula Rally)"], RallyNews.net</ref><ref>[http://scivi.air-nifty.com/motors/wrc/index.html Michael Park, Motors Blog:WRC]</ref> but nonetheless they contributed to the results. More recently, they have given way to the 'Super Special Stages', which are equally maligned by the drivers, but just as popular with spectators. ===Group B=== The 1986 RAC Rally was the last [[Europe]]an event for [[Group B]] vehicles. These highly-tuned [[turbocharger|turbocharged]] cars were to be banned as they were deemed too powerful and dangerous, in light of the various accidents in which they were involved. In the end, the [[Peugeot 205|Peugeot 205 T16]]s of [[Timo Salonen]], [[Juha Kankkunen]] and [[Mikael Sundström]] took three of the top four places, with only [[Markku Alen]]'s second position in the [[Lancia Delta|Lancia Delta S4]] preventing a monopoly of the podium. There were 83 finishers out of 150 starters in 1986, compared to year of worst attrition in 1981 when only 54 of the 151 starters reached the end. This was in stark contrast to the early years: in 1938, there were only 6 retirements from 237 starters. ==Scandinavian successes== [[Scandinavia]]n drivers have enjoyed rich pickings in the RAC Rally. Home drivers won the first six runnings of the race from 1953, when an outright winner was first declared. However, in 1960 [[Erik Carlsson]] of [[Sweden]], drove his [[Saab 96]] to a hat-trick of victories in 1960&ndash;62, and of the six drivers to have won three or more titles since then, all but two &mdash; [[Colin McRae]] (1994, '95, '97) and [[Richard Burns]] (1998&ndash;2000) &mdash; have been [[Sweden|Swedes]], [[Finland|Finns]] or [[Norway|Norwegians]]. The record for most victories is four, shared by [[Hannu Mikkola]] (1978&ndash;79, '81&ndash;82) and [[Petter Solberg]] (2002&ndash;05), whose consecutive streak is unique. ==Title sponsors== Until 1970, there was no overt sponsorship, but in that year advertising decals appeared on cars and the [[Daily Mirror]] newspaper sponsored the event. This deal lasted four years before finance company, [[Lombard North Central]] took over in 1974. The event became known as the '''Lombard RAC Rally''', and Lombard's name became synonymous with the event. Following Lombard's withdrawal of sponsorship after nineteen years, the rally became known as the '''Network Q RAC Rally''' and later, the '''Network Q Rally of Great Britain'''. The rally has moved its operational base to [[Cardiff]] and competitive stage mileage is concentrated in [[Wales]]. With sponsorship from the [[Welsh Development Agency]], the event is now known as '''Wales Rally GB'''. However, with such an extensive history covering the whole country, there were demands for the "glory days" of the old RAC Rally. In this spirit, two events have recently been established, and cover the same classic stages which are no longer part of the [[World Rally Championship|WRC]] itinerary. The ''RAC Revival Rally'' uses modern, but less powerful cars, while the ''Roger Albert Clark Rally'' is a historic event using only pre-1972 machinery, and named after the first home winner of the race as a World Championship event. ==2005== The 2005 rally was the twelfth event on the [[World Rally Championship|WRC]] schedule for 2005, held on [[September 16]]–[[September 18|18]], [[2005]]. It included the first indoor super special stage at the [[Millennium Stadium]] in [[Cardiff]]. On stage fifteen, [[Peugeot]] driver [[Markko Märtin]] crashed heavily into a tree, and while he was unharmed his co-driver [[Michael Park (rally co-pilot)|Michael Park]] sustained fatal injuries. It was the first death in the WRC in over a decade. The final two stages were cancelled and [[Sébastien Loeb]], who would have won the event and World Championship, voluntarily incurred a two minute time penalty in order not to win under such circumstances, leaving [[Petter Solberg]] to be declared the victor. A memorial was unveiled for him in Estonia (Markko's home country), and the damaged tree on the Margham Park stage of the rally where he died bears a plaque in memorial of him. ==Results== {| class="wikitable" align="center" style="font-size:90%;" ! Year ! Event ! Finish ! Winner(s) ! Vehicle |- ! 1932 | RAC Rally | Torquay | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Col. Loughborough | [[Lanchester]] |- ! 1933 | RAC Rally | Hastings | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Miss Kitty Brunell | [[AC Ace]] |- ! 1934 | RAC Rally | Bournemouth | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} F R G Spikins | [[Singer (car)|Singer Le Mans]] |- ! 1935 | RAC Rally | Eastbourne | colspan=3 | '''''Results unknown''''' |- ! 1936 | RAC Rally | Torquay | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} C E A Westcott | [[Austin 7]] |- ! 1937 | RAC Rally | Hastings | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Jack Harrop | [[Jaguar SS100]] |- ! 1938 | RAC Rally | Blackpool | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Jack Harrop | [[Jaguar SS100]] |- ! 1939 | RAC Rally | Brighton | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Abiegeg Fane | [[BMW 328]] |- ! 1940–50 | | colspan=3| '''''No Rally held''''' |- ! 1951 | 1st RAC Rally | Bournemouth | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Ian Appleyard<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Mrs. Pat Appleyard | [[Jaguar XK120]] |- ! 1952 | 2nd RAC Rally | Scarborough | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Godfrey Imhof<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Mrs. Barbara Frayling | [[Allard|Allard-Cadillac J2]] |- ! 1953 | 3rd RAC Rally | Hastings | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Ian Appleyard<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Mrs. Pat Appleyard | [[Jaguar XK120]] |- ! 1954 | 4th RAC Rally | Blackpool | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} John Wallwork<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Harold Brooks | [[Triumph TR2]] |- ! 1955 | 5th RAC Rally | Hastings | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Jimmy Ray<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Brian Horrocks | [[Standard Motor Company|Standard Ten]] |- ! 1956 | 6th RAC Rally | Blackpool | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Lyndon Sims<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Rupert Jones<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Tony Ambrose]] | [[Aston Martin DB2]] |- ! 1957 | | colspan=3| '''''No Rally held''''' |- ! 1958 | 7th RAC Rally | Hastings | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Peter Harper]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Dr Bill Deane]] | [[Sunbeam Rapier]] |- ! 1959 | 8th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Gerald Burgess]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Sam Croft-Pearson]] | [[Ford Zephyr|Ford Zephyr Six]] |- ! 1960 | 9th RAC Rally | Brands Hatch | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Erik Carlsson]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Stuart Turner]] | [[Saab 96]] |- ! 1961 | 10th RAC Rally | Brighton | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Erik Carlsson]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[John Brown]] | [[Saab 96]] |- ! 1962 | 11th RAC Rally | Bournemouth | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Erik Carlsson]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[David Stone]] | [[Saab 96]] |- ! 1963 | 12th RAC Rally | Bournemouth | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Tom Trana]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Sune Lundström]] | [[Volvo PV|Volvo PV544]] |- ! 1964 | 13th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Tom Trana]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Gunnar Thermanius]] | [[Volvo PV|Volvo PV544]] |- ! 1965 | 14th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Rauno Aaltonen]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Tony Ambrose]] | [[Mini|BMC Mini Cooper S 1275]] |- ! 1966 | 15th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Bengt Söderström]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Gunnar Palm]] | [[Lotus Cortina]] |- ! 1967 | 16th RAC Rally | colspan=3 | '''''Cancelled''''' |- ! 1968 | 17th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Simo Lampinen]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[John Davenport (auto racer)|John Davenport]] | [[Saab 96|Saab 96 V4]] |- ! 1969 | 18th RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Harry Kallström]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Gunnar Haggbom]] | [[Lancia Fulvia|Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF]] |- ! 1970 | 19th Daily Mirror RAC Rally | London | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Harry Kallström]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Gunnar Haggbom]] | [[Lancia Fulvia|Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF]] |- ! 1971 | 20th Daily Mirror RAC Rally | Harrogate | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Stig Blomqvist]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Arne Hertz]] | [[Saab 96|Saab 96 V4]] |- ! 1972 | 21st Daily Mirror RAC Rally | York | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Roger Clark]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Tony Mason (co-driver)|Tony Mason]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1600]] |- ! 1973 | [[1973 RAC Rally|22nd Daily Mirror RAC Rally]] | York | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Mäkinen]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Henry Liddon]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1600]] |- ! 1974 | 23rd Lombard RAC Rally | York | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Mäkinen]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Henry Liddon]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1600]] |- ! 1975 | 24th Lombard RAC Rally | York | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Mäkinen]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Henry Liddon]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1800]] |- ! 1976 | 25th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Roger Clark]]<br>{{flagicon|Zaire}} [[Stuart Pegg]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1800]] |- ! 1977 | 26th Lombard RAC Rally | York | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Björn Waldegård]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Hans Thorszelius]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1800]] |- ! 1978 | 27th Lombard RAC Rally | Birmingham | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Hannu Mikkola]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Arne Hertz]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1800]] |- ! 1979 | 28th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Hannu Mikkola]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Arne Hertz]] | [[Ford Escort|Ford Escort RS1800]] |- ! 1980 | 29th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Henri Toivonen]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Paul White]] | [[Talbot Sunbeam|Talbot Sunbeam Lotus]] |- ! 1981 | 30th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Hannu Mikkola]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Arne Hertz]] | [[Audi Quattro]] |- ! 1982 | 31st Lombard RAC Rally | York | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Hannu Mikkola]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Arne Hertz]] | [[Audi Quattro]] |- ! 1983 | 32nd Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Stig Blomqvist]]<br>{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Björn Cederberg]] | [[Audi Quattro|Audi Quattro A2]] |- ! 1984 | 33rd Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ari Vatanen]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Terry Harryman]] | [[Peugeot 205|Peugeot 205 Turbo 16]] |- ! 1985 | 34th Lombard RAC Rally | Nottingham | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Henri Toivonen]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Neil Wilson]] | [[Lancia Delta|Lancia Delta S4]] |- ! 1986 | 35th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Salonen]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Seppo Harjanne]] | [[Peugeot 205|Peugeot 205 Turbo 16]] |- ! 1987 | 36th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha Kankkunen]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha Piironen]] | [[Lancia Delta|Lancia Delta HF 4WD]] |- ! 1988 | 37th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Markku Alen]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilkka Kivimäki]] | [[Lancia Delta|Lancia Delta Integrale]] |- ! 1989 | 38th Lombard RAC Rally | Nottingham | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Pentti Airikkala]]<br>{{flagicon|Republic of Ireland}} [[Ronan McNamee]] | [[Mitsubishi Galant VR-4]] |- ! 1990 | 46th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Carlos Sainz]]<br>{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Luis Moya]] | [[Toyota Celica|Toyota Celica GT-Four]] |- ! 1991 | 47th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha Kankkunen]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha Piironen]] | [[Lancia Delta|Lancia Delta Integrale 16V]] |- ! 1992 | 48th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Carlos Sainz]]<br>{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Luis Moya]] | [[Toyota Celica|Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD]] |- ! 1993 | 49th Network Q RAC Rally | Birmingham | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha Kankkunen]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Nicky Grist]] | [[Toyota Celica|Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD]] |- ! 1994 | 50th Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Colin McRae]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Derek Ringer]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza 555]] |- ! 1995 | 51st Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Colin McRae]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Derek Ringer]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza 555]] |- ! 1996 | 52nd Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Armin Schwarz]]<br>{{flagicon|France}} [[Denis Giraudet]] | [[Toyota Celica|Toyota Celica GT-Four]] |- ! 1997 | 53rd Network Q RAC Rally | Cheltenham | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Colin McRae]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Nicky Grist]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 1998 | 54th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cheltenham | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Richard Burns]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Robert Reid (rally)|Robert Reid]] | [[Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution|Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo 5]] |- ! 1999 | 55th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cheltenham | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Richard Burns]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Robert Reid (rally)|Robert Reid]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2000 | 56th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Richard Burns]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Robert Reid (rally)|Robert Reid]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2001 | 57th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marcus Grönholm]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Rautiainen (co-driver)|Timo Rautiainen]] | [[Peugeot 206|Peugeot 206 WRC]] |- ! 2002 | 58th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Petter Solberg]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Phil Mills]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2003 | 59th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Petter Solberg]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Phil Mills]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2004 | 60th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Petter Solberg]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Phil Mills]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2005 | 61st Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Petter Solberg]]<br>{{flagicon|Great Britain}} [[Phil Mills]] | [[Subaru Impreza|Subaru Impreza WRC]] |- ! 2006 | 62nd Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marcus Grönholm]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Timo Rautiainen (co-driver)|Timo Rautiainen]] | [[Ford Focus WRC|Ford Focus RS WRC 06]] |- ! 2007 | [[2007 Rally GB|63rd Wales Rally of Great Britain]] | Cardiff | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Mikko Hirvonen]]<br>{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jarmo Lehtinen]] | [[Ford Focus WRC|Ford Focus RS WRC 07]] |- |} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons|Category:Wales Rally GB|Wales Rally GB}} * [http://www.walesrallygb.com/ Wales Rally GB official site] * [http://www.wrc.com?WT.mc_id=wiki World Rally Championship official site - watch Wales Rally GB online] * [http://www.rallybrc.co.uk/ British Rally Championship official site] * [http://www.endurorally.com/index.html Endurance Rally Association, organisers of the RAC Revival Rally] * [http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.com/ Roger Albert Clark Rally, official site] {{World rallies}} [[Category:Rally GB| ]] [[ca:Ral·li de Gal·les]] [[de:Rallye Großbritannien]] [[hr:Wales Reli Velika Britanija]] [[nl:Rally of Great-Britain]] [[pl:Rajd Wielkiej Brytanii]] [[pt:Rali da Grã-Bretanha]]