The next best WRC event this season, in terms of entries, was the iconic Neste Rally Finland, which attracted 101 entrants for the ‘Rally of a 1000 Lakes’ back in August.
In addition to the manufacturer 1 and manufacturer 2 squads, six other drivers will take part in WRC cars, including First Motorsports’
Francois Duval (Skoda Fabia WRC), Jan Kopecky (Skoda Fabia WRC), Mads Ostberg (
Subaru Impreza WRC) and three others in Ford Focus WRC cars.
Gareth MacHale will be one of those drivers in a Focus and he is determined to end his season on a high and give the Irish something to cheer about: "We are seeded second privateer and the only crew from the Republic of Ireland in the top 130 entries," he said. "We have to perform well to try and maintain the momentum from a great first year in the World Rally Championship, but also to uphold Irish honours. All eyes will be on Ireland's new round of the WRC next year, so it would also be great to put in a good result to boost interest."
As for the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship a number of ‘big’ names are in action, including, Gwyndaf Evans, Jonny Milner, Ryan Champion and David Higgins. Mark Higgins however won’t be eligible to score BRC points, as he has opted to run in a Ford Focus WRC car, having already won the BRC title on the last event, the International Rally of Yorkshire, and only Group N or S1600 cars can score points in the 2006 BRC.
Other notable entries include, Alister McRae, in a Toyota Super 2000 and former
ITV F1 TV pundit, Tony Jardine.
Route:
The rally is again based entirely in the forests of south Wales and although the start and finish are in Cardiff, the single service park is based on the edge of Swansea, 70km to the west. Each leg comprises two identical loops of tests in the morning and afternoon.
Friday's opening leg is centred on the Vale of Neath forests and includes the classic Resolfen and Rheola tests.
Saturday's competition is located further north, close to the Epynt military land, near Brecon. The day ends with a spectacular test inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and, like last year, the arena's sliding roof will be closed.
