Preview: Rallye Deutschland.

Tuesday, 23rd August 2005

The 24th ADAC Rallye Deutschland takes place this coming weekend - the eleventh round out of sixteen in the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship. Germany will also play host to the sixth round in the 2005 FIA Junior WRC.

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The 24th ADAC Rallye Deutschland takes place this coming weekend - the eleventh round out of sixteen in the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship. Germany will also play host to the sixth round in the 2005 FIA Junior WRC.

The rally comprises three legs, 355 competitive kilometres and 19 timed special stages. There will be a single service area at Bostalsee, which is 60km from Trier. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp at 1630hrs on Sunday August 28.

Special notes:

After nine consecutive loose surface rallies, Rallye Deutschland is the first all-asphalt event since Monte Carlo, and the first of three such events scheduled for the remainder of the season.

Based in the countryside around Trier, the oldest city in Germany, the rally presents crews with some of the most specialist stages of the year.

The event is made up of two old German national rallies rolled into one, and each leg has a very distinctive character. Stage conditions vary between the narrow vineyard roads of the Mosel region with its long, fast straights and 90-degree corners, the smooth roads of Saarland and the bumpy, rough concrete tracks of the Baumholder military ranges.

Designed for tank training exercises, the army roads are unlike anything else in the WRC. Flanked by huge, unforgiving concrete kerbstones, the wide asphalt sections are abrasive and dirty, while a fine dusting of sand makes them exceptionally slippery when wet. The military area was the scene of several high-profile accidents in 2004, so this time the route is being re-designed to make it safer.

With this year's rally scheduled in August, when weather conditions are likely to be changeable, the event's mix of road surfaces is expected to prove a tough challenge for drivers and tyres alike.

The only WRC event held in central Europe, Rallye Deutschland is especially popular with fans. Last year more than 200,000 flocked to the stages to watch their favourite drivers in action and this year should be no different.

FIA World Rally Championship news:

Sebastien Loeb continues to lead the World Rally Drivers' championship - having again extended his advantage after finishing second in Finland. The Frenchman is 28 points ahead of Marcus Gronholm and a further 2 points up on Petter Solberg, who is third.

In the Constructors' championship, Peugeot lead Citroen by just 1 point.

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