Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales. From its first running in 1932 until the 53rd event in 1997, it was known as the RAC Rally until adopting its current name in 2003 except in 2009 when it was Rally of Great Britain.
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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 (1,600 km) 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 15/18 was recorded as having the fewest penalty points in the decisive test at the finish.[1]
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).
In 1960, organising secretary Jack Kemsley negotiated with the Forestry Commission to allow a two mile (3 km) 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.[2]
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,[3][4] 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.
The 1986 RAC Rally was the last European event for Group B vehicles. These highly-tuned 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 T16 Evo. 2s 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 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 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 1960–62, and of the six drivers to have won three or more titles since then, all but three - Colin McRae (1994, '95, '97), Richard Burns (1998–2000), and Sébastien Loeb (2008–10) - have been Swedes, Finns or Norwegians. The record for most victories is four, shared by Hannu Mikkola (1978–79, '81–82) and Petter Solberg (2002–05), whose consecutive streak is unique.
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 Government, 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 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.
The 2005 rally was the twelfth event on the WRC schedule for 2005, held on September 16–18, 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 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, 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 for Park was unveiled in Märtin's homeland of Estonia and the damaged tree on the Margam Park stage of the rally where he died bears a plaque in memorial of him.
Wales Rally GB was the final round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship and took place on 4–7 December 2008. World champion Sébastien Loeb crowned his season with victory in the rally.[5]
Cardiff was both the start and finish point for the rally, while the service area returned to central Swansea. For the first time since 2000 the rally featured stages in Mid-Wales and there were special evening stages inside the Millennium Stadium.
| Year | Event | Finish | Winner(s) | Vehicle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | RAC Rally | Torquay | Col. Loughborough | Lanchester | |
| 1933 | RAC Rally | Hastings | Miss Kitty Brunell | AC Ace | |
| 1934 | RAC Rally | Bournemouth | F R G Spikins | Singer Le Mans | |
| 1935 | RAC Rally | Eastbourne | Results unknown | ||
| 1936 | RAC Rally | Torquay | C E A Westcott | Austin 7 | |
| 1937 | RAC Rally | Hastings | Jack Harrop | Jaguar SS100 | |
| 1938 | RAC Rally | Blackpool | Jack Harrop | Jaguar SS100 | |
| 1939 | RAC Rally | Brighton | Abiegeg Fane | BMW 328 | |
| 1940–50 | No Rally held | ||||
| 1951 | 1st RAC Rally | Bournemouth | Ian Appleyard Mrs. Pat Appleyard |
Jaguar XK120 | |
| 1952 | 2nd RAC Rally | Scarborough | Godfrey Imhof Mrs. Barbara Frayling |
Allard-Cadillac J2 | |
| 1953 | 3rd RAC Rally | Hastings | Ian Appleyard Mrs. Pat Appleyard |
Jaguar XK120 | |
| 1954 | 4th RAC Rally | Blackpool | John Wallwork Harold Brooks |
Triumph TR2 | |
| 1955 | 5th RAC Rally | Hastings | Jimmy Ray Brian Horrocks |
Standard Ten | |
| 1956 | 6th RAC Rally | Blackpool | Lyndon Sims Rupert Jones Tony Ambrose |
Aston Martin DB2 | |
| 1957 | No Rally held | ||||
| 1958 | 7th RAC Rally | Hastings | Peter Harper Dr Bill Deane |
Sunbeam Rapier | |
| 1959 | 8th RAC Rally | London | Gerald Burgess Sam Croft-Pearson |
Ford Zephyr Six | |
| 1960 | 9th RAC Rally | Brands Hatch | Erik Carlsson Stuart Turner |
Saab 96 | |
| 1961 | 10th RAC Rally | Brighton | Erik Carlsson John Brown |
Saab 96 | |
| 1962 | 11th RAC Rally | Bournemouth | Erik Carlsson David Stone |
Saab 96 | |
| 1963 | 12th RAC Rally | Bournemouth | Tom Trana Sune Lundström |
Volvo PV544 | |
| 1964 | 13th RAC Rally | London | Tom Trana Gunnar Thermanius |
Volvo PV544 | |
| 1965 | 14th RAC Rally | London | Rauno Aaltonen Tony Ambrose |
BMC Mini Cooper S 1275 | |
| 1966 | 15th RAC Rally | London | Bengt Söderström Gunnar Palm |
Lotus Cortina | |
| 1967 | 16th RAC Rally | Cancelled due to outbreak of Foot-and-mouth | |||
| 1968 | 17th RAC Rally | London | Simo Lampinen John Davenport |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 1969 | 18th RAC Rally | London | Harry Kallström Gunnar Haggbom |
Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | |
| 1970 | 19th Daily Mirror RAC Rally | London | Harry Kallström Gunnar Haggbom |
Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | |
| 1971 | 20th Daily Mirror RAC Rally | Harrogate | Stig Blomqvist Arne Hertz |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 1972 | 21st Daily Mirror RAC Rally | York | Roger Clark Tony Mason |
Ford Escort RS1600 | |
| 1973 | 22nd Daily Mirror RAC Rally | York | Timo Mäkinen Henry Liddon |
Ford Escort RS1600 | |
| 1974 | 23rd Lombard RAC Rally | York | Timo Mäkinen Henry Liddon |
Ford Escort RS1600 | |
| 1975 | 24th Lombard RAC Rally | York | Timo Mäkinen Henry Liddon |
Ford Escort RS1800 | |
| 1976 | 25th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | Roger Clark Stuart Pegg |
Ford Escort RS1800 | |
| 1977 | 26th Lombard RAC Rally | York | Björn Waldegård Hans Thorszelius |
Ford Escort RS1800 | |
| 1978 | 27th Lombard RAC Rally | Birmingham | Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz |
Ford Escort RS1800 | |
| 1979 | 28th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz |
Ford Escort RS1800 | |
| 1980 | 29th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | Henri Toivonen Paul White |
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus | |
| 1981 | 30th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz |
Audi Quattro | |
| 1982 | 31st Lombard RAC Rally | York | Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz |
Audi Quattro | |
| 1983 | 32nd Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg |
Audi Quattro A2 | |
| 1984 | 33rd Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman |
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | |
| 1985 | 34th Lombard RAC Rally | Nottingham | Henri Toivonen Neil Wilson |
Lancia Delta S4 | |
| 1986 | 35th Lombard RAC Rally | Bath | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne |
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | |
| 1987 | 36th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | Juha Kankkunen Juha Piironen |
Lancia Delta HF 4WD | |
| 1988 | 37th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | Markku Alen Ilkka Kivimäki |
Lancia Delta Integrale | |
| 1989 | 38th Lombard RAC Rally | Nottingham | Pentti Airikkala Ronan McNamee |
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 | |
| 1990 | 46th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | Carlos Sainz Luis Moya |
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 | |
| 1991 | 47th Lombard RAC Rally | Harrogate | Juha Kankkunen Juha Piironen |
Lancia Delta Integrale 16V | |
| 1992 | 48th Lombard RAC Rally | Chester | Carlos Sainz Luis Moya |
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | |
| 1993 | 49th Network Q RAC Rally | Birmingham | Juha Kankkunen Nicky Grist |
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | |
| 1994 | 50th Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | Colin McRae Derek Ringer |
Subaru Impreza 555 | |
| 1995 | 51st Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | Colin McRae Derek Ringer |
Subaru Impreza 555 | |
| 1996 | 52nd Network Q RAC Rally | Chester | Armin Schwarz Denis Giraudet |
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 | |
| 1997 | 53rd Network Q RAC Rally | Cheltenham | Colin McRae Nicky Grist |
Subaru Impreza WRC 97 | |
| 1998 | 54th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cheltenham | Richard Burns Robert Reid |
Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo 5 | |
| 1999 | 55th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cheltenham | Richard Burns Robert Reid |
Subaru Impreza WRC 99 | |
| 2000 | 56th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Richard Burns Robert Reid |
Subaru Impreza WRC 00 | |
| 2001 | 57th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Marcus Grönholm Timo Rautiainen |
Peugeot 206 WRC | |
| 2002 | 58th Network Q Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Petter Solberg Phil Mills |
Subaru Impreza WRC 02 | |
| 2003 | 59th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Petter Solberg Phil Mills |
Subaru Impreza WRC 03 | |
| 2004 | 60th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Petter Solberg Phil Mills |
Subaru Impreza WRC 04 | |
| 2005 | 61st Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Petter Solberg Phil Mills |
Subaru Impreza WRC 05 | |
| 2006 | 62nd Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Marcus Grönholm Timo Rautiainen |
Ford Focus RS WRC 06 | |
| 2007 | 63rd Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Mikko Hirvonen Jarmo Lehtinen |
Ford Focus RS WRC 07 | |
| 2008 | 64th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena |
Citroën C4 WRC | |
| 2009 | 65th Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena |
Citroën C4 WRC | |
| 2010 | 66th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena |
Citroën C4 WRC | |
| 2011 | 67th Wales Rally of Great Britain | Cardiff | Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Antilla |
Ford Fiesta RS WRC | |
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