Of the rest, in addition to those competing for PWRC points, there will also be a number of BRC runners - 25 in total - four of which will be able to score points in both categories.

Six drivers' remain in contention for the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, including Mark Higgins, Guy Wilks, Gwyndaf Evans, Wyn Humphries, Rob Swann and Phillip Morrow [see the RALLY UK channel on Crash.net for further details].

Other notable names include 2007 FSTi champion, Barry Clark, who will use a Group N car, as well as Martin Prokop, who finished third in the JRC this season, Dani Sola and Tony Jardine.

All-in-all 32 nations will be represented, including teams from Australia, Barbados, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, the USA and Zimbabwe.


Route:

The rally is again based in the forests of south Wales, with the start and finish in Cardiff.

The service park has been moved from the edge of Swansea to a more central location in the city's marina area, about 70km from Cardiff.

The route is virtually identical with just Sunday's Trawscoed stage showing major differences - it will be used in the opposite direction to 2006.

Friday's opening leg is the longest and is centred on the Vale of Neath forests, including the classic Resolfen and Rheola tests.

Saturday's competition is located further north, close to the Epynt military land. The day ends with a spectacular test inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and, as in previous years, the arena's sliding roof will be shut.

The final leg takes competitors west to Brechfa Forest, notorious for being foggy and slippery.

Drivers tackle 17 stages in total covering 359.54 kilometres in a route of 1271.94 kilometres.


Last year:

Marcus Gronholm won the Rally GB last year, having led the event from the very first stage on Friday morning.

He eventually took the victory by over a minute, after Mikko Hirvonen and then Petter Solberg, the only two people who seemed able to take the fight to the Finn, hit problems.

Manfred Stohl secured the runners-up spot, 25 seconds up on 'Hollywood', while Jari-Matti Latvala was fourth for the Stobart squad. Xavier Pons, Chris Atkinson and Daniel Sordo came in fifth, sixth and seventh, while the final point went to Francois Duval.