Thanks to a change in the law by the Welsh Government facilitating closed-road motor sport in Wales, International Motor Sports Ltd (IMS), organiser and promoter of Wales Rally GB, will overhaul the event’s four-day itinerary to the advantage of both visitors and competitors.
The benefits are most valuable in north Wales where a number of smaller forests can be extended simply by closing a short stretch of road, creating new speed tests worthy of the WRC and the National Rally has been extended within the event.
Although the final detailed competitive route will not be announced until FIA approval is obtained and tickets go on sale next month, organisers have decided to share the outline route at this early stage to assist fans, marshals and accommodation providers to make plans for the rally.
As in 2017, the event will blast off with a crowd-friendly curtain-raiser at Tir Prince on Thursday evening, before Friday’s north Wales stages, many in Conwy County, which once again has renewed its role as the world class event’s Official Host County.
Many of the classic forest tests around Aberystwyth, which in recent years have been included in Friday’s schedule, will now feature as part of a jumbo ‘Super Saturday’ bill in mid-Wales. The show moves back to north Wales on the Sunday with a new Power Stage venue.