Senior representatives at the FIA World Rally Championship have thrown Rally Northern Ireland organisers a fresh lifeline by agreeing to extend the funding deadline until the end of next month.
Sebastien Ogier feels his victory at Rally GB in October acted as the turning point in the FIA World Rally Championship title race in 2018, sparking a recovery from 23 points behind to clinch a sixth consecutive crown.
Elfyn Evans: I was really hungry for the win and I hoped it would come earlier, but Robert Kubica was very fast on tarmac and a fair challenge. Nonetheless, it's been a great challenge all year, but the goal was to come home and win and it's a very special feeling to have achieved that.
Francois Delecour: I've always been a big Porsche fan and I'm particularly excited about driving on the Welsh stages, some of which I know from doing Rally GB in the past, and which I consider to be among the best in the world.
Mikko Hirvonen will finalise his preparations for the World Rally Championship title decider in Great Britain later this month by driving in the Cambrian Rally in north Wales next weekend.
The battle between Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb - as well as between Citroen and Ford - for the World Rally Championship titles has taken a new twist after Citroen announced the signing of Petter Solberg to its Junior team for the season-ending Rally GB.
WRC stars Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala, first and second in the 2008 Wales Rally GB, have given their verdict on the performance by six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi.
Reigning six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has finished day two of Wales Rally GB in 15th position, an impressive nine places higher than his ranking at the end of day one.
MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was just 45th fastest after the opening stage of Wales Rally GB, but had improved his position to 24th by the end of a treacherous opening day.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Mikko Hirvonen set the pace on Thursday morning in the shakedown for the Wales Rally GB, the final round in the 2008 World Rally Championship.
Night stages were included in the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time in a number of years in 2007 - and will once again make up part of the Rallye Monte Carlo, which opens the new season later on this month.