2002 World Rally schedule announced.

A fourteen date World Rally Championship calendar was today issued by the World Motor Sports Council in Cologne on behalf of the FIA.

The schedule, which features a round in Germany for the first time since the calendar was enlarged, loses the traditional trip to Portugal, which formed a popular double-header with the Rallye Catalunya in past seasons. Germany had been touted as a possible extra event should the calendar have been enlarged in 2002, but replaces Portugal with a date in late August.

Elsewhere, the schedule has had to accept some alteration to encompass the newcomer, with Cyprus becoming the third round, after traditional openers Monte Carlo and Sweden, and the Tour de Corse moving back to an early slot from the October date it currently occupies.

The traditional staples of Acropolis, Safari and British rallies remain on the schedule in their regular dates, but New Zealand moves to a later, October, slot, forming a logical double-header with Australia. The season finishes marginally earlier, with Rally GB ending on 17 November.

World Rally Championship calendar 2002 - provisional

January 17-20 Monte Carlo Rally
January 31-February 3 Swedish Rally
March 7-10 Cyprus Rally
March 22-24 Rallye Catalunya
April 18-21 Tour de Corse
May 16-19 Rally Argentina
June 13-16 Acropolis Rally
July 11-14 Safari Rally
August 08-11 Rally Finland
August 22-25 Rally Deutschland
September 19-22 Rallye San Remo*
October 3-6 Rally of New Zealand
October 31-November 3 Rally Australia
November 14-17 Rally of Great Britain

[* denotes event subject to the 2001 observer's report.]