While leg one takes place in the undulating valleys of south Wales, the crews travel north to the fringes of the Brecon Beacons for leg two. It includes two runs through a trio of well-known tests: Crychan, Halfway and Epynt, before the day ends with the 1.1km Cardiff Super Special held inside the Millennium Stadium. An estimated 25,000 spectators will get some respite from the harsh winter weather under the stadium’s retractable roof.
The third and final leg comprises two runs through Brechfa and Trawscoed, although this year the drivers will tackle the stages in the opposite direction compared to 2005. These two long stages take place on a hard-packed surface, but while the former test is fast and features some long, cambered corners, the latter is much tighter and strewn with hairpins.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
With
Sebastien Loeb having clinched the 2006 FIA World Rally drivers' championship in October in Australia – despite being out injured, and the
BP Ford World Rally Team having taken the 2006 FIA World Rally manufacturers’ championship in New Zealand two weeks ago, there is little to decide in terms of the standings.
Indeed in the drivers’, Marcus Gronholm and
Mikko Hirvonen are both assured of second and third positions, and as such the biggest place still in dispute is for fourth spot, between
Daniel Sordo and Manfred Stohl, the latter just one point behind his Spanish rival.
In other WRC news, Astra team boss, Luca Pregliasco confirmed exclusively to
Crash.net Radio recently that he is hoping to put together a programme based around
Toni Gardemeister again next season. Although details are still to be decided it appears the Finn will do four to five events in the WRC and in all likelihood he will again use a
Citroen Xsara WRC car.
