Whetting appetites for this year’s Wales Rally GB, the eagerly-anticipated 2019 FIA World Rally Championship launched today at Autosport International (10-13 January).
| New liveries and new driver line-ups will all be unveiled at Birmingham’s NEC on what has been dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, giving British rally fans and show visitors a unique insight into what promises to be another epic sporting adventure.
With the latest generation of spectacular World Rally Cars producing thrilling and ultra-competitive entertainment, the 2019 WRC has been expanded to 14 rounds with the addition of an extra event in Chile. As last year, the action kicks off later this month with the famous Monte Carlo Rally (24-27 January), with Britain’s round confirmed for the autumn (03-06 October) as what promises to be another fiercely-fought title race nears its climax. All four major factory-backed teams are back to represent Citroën, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota, and new driver line-ups stoke further intrigue. Six-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier has switched back to spearhead Citroën’s squad in 2019, so Elfyn Evans steps up to lead the M-Sport Ford attack. Evans famously took his first WRC victory on home soil in Wales at the end of 2017 but last season failed to add to that breakthrough victory. The Welshman has a new co-driver – Scott Martin – and now, with the added responsibility, is determined to bounce back aboard the Fiesta RS WRC which took Ogier to both the 2017 and 2018 titles. |
2019 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
24-27 January Monte Carlo Rally 14-17 February Rally Sweden 07-10 March Rally Guanajuato Mexico 28-31 March Tour de Corse (France) 25-28 April YPF Rally Argentina 09-12 May COPEC Rally Chile 30 May-02 June Vodafone Rally de Portugal 13-16 June Rally Italia Sardinia 01-04 August Neste Rally Finland 22-25 August ADAC Rally Germany 12-15 September Rally Turkey 03-06 October Wales Rally GB 24-27 October Rally Spain 14-17 November Kennards Hire Rally Australia |
