The UK’s round of the globe-trotting FIA World Rally Championship – Wales Rally GB – has been confirmed in the 2016 schedule that will visit no fewer than five continents.
The 14-round championship blasts off with the Monte Carlo Rally in January and will conclude in Australia 11 months later, with a round in China for the first time in 17 years.
Wales Rally GB will be the final European fixture and the penultimate round of the championship. It will again be based in North Wales from October 28-30, preserving the likelihood of tricky late-year conditions which make the legendary event such a renowned sporting challenge.
“We have worked closely with the WRC Promoter to secure our position as the final European round,” said Ben Taylor, Wales Rally GB managing director. “This will preserve the recent success that has seen the event widely praised by international competitors and, importantly, become an established end of season climax for British competitors, marshals and fans.
“Wales Rally GB has traditionally been the closing round of the championship and that would always be our preference, but the WRC is going through an exciting period of development and we all have to be flexible in the interests of a stronger championship.
“We recognise that the WRC Promoter has to find the balance between the sporting integrity of the championship, the commercial importance of expansion into new markets, the logistical challenges of a global calendar and the attraction of promotional opportunities such as end-of-season gala dinners.
“Right now, our attention is firmly on this year’s Wales Rally GB which, with a capacity entry and strong ticket sales, is going to be one of the best in recent years and will provide a fitting finale to this year’s championship.”
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said: “We have seen the progress made by Wales Rally GB in recent years and welcome their success because it is an event that is important to the WRC.
“We have worked closely with the organisers to secure a date at the end of the British domestic season that will preserve the strength of the current Wales Rally GB and enable them to continue to grow. We look forward with anticipation to next week’s event that is sure to be another great rally,” he added.
This year’s Wales Rally GB begins on Thursday, November 12.
For further updates, follow Wales Rally GB on Twitter @WalesRallyGB or join the conversations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walesrallygb.
