The finale of the 2000 World Rally Championship takes place this weekend, with Peugeot’s Marcus Gronholm holding a nine-point advantage over Subaru’s Richard Burns in the driver’s championship.
The 2000 Rally of Great Britain will mark the beginning of a new era, being based entirely in Wales for the first time, with the route significantly modified from previous years.
The major changes include the scraping of the Sunday spectator stages in favour of a compact, three-leg route concentrated in the forests that have given the rally its daunting reputation. The start has also been moved to the Welsh capital of Cardiff, where there will be a spectator stage, designed to appeal to fans and television viewers alike.
With two British drivers featuring prominently as well as the World Championship at stake, there is sure to be an electric atmosphere in the forests, no matter how hostile the weather is. Hundreds of thousands of fans are certain to brave the possible rain, mud, sleet and fog, all of which could not be bigger contrast to the warm, spring weather in Perth two weeks ago for Rally Australia.
Subaru’s Richard
Burns faces an uphill challenge for the championship – despite being promoted to second in Australia following Makinen’s disqualification, the problem being that title rival Gronholm inherited the win and with it a potentially crucial extra two points.
“The Rally of Great Britain is one of my favourite events”, explained Burns, “and I have a clear objective for his year - to win, and I know I can do it. Whatever happens to Marcus is out of my hands, and that takes a lot of the Championship pressure off.”
