NEWS: Wales Rally GB 'Road To Wales' Initiative Offers Eight FOC WRC Entries

Wales Rally GB’s 'Road to Wales' initiative is all go – offering eight prize drives to national competitors for the epic only-UK WRC round, 14-17 November.
There are two deciding rounds left of the 2013 British Rally Championship and BTRDA Rally Series and the top three finishers in the overall MSA British Rally Championship as well as class winners in both British Junior and RallyTwo Rally categories will all be offered free entries into the concluding round of the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Additionally, the winner of the NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge will be awarded a free entry into the three-day National Rally that runs alongside the WRC event in the legendary Welsh Forests.
Currently, Jukka Korhonen from Finland leads the BRC ahead of Tom Cave (from Gwynedd), with Alastair Fisher (based in County Tyrone) and Jonny Greer (from Belfast) tied in third place in the championship standings. Daniel McKenna (County Monaghan, Ireland) heads the RallyTwo Championship table, as Benjamyn McKay (Oswestry, Shropshire) leads the charge in the British Junior category and Russ Thompson (from near Clitheroe in Lancashire) has collected the most points so far in the BRC Challenge.
Wales Rally GB also has a similar partnership with the British Trial and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA). The REIS-Get Connected BTRDA Rally Series is the most popular Championship in the UK with over 260 registered contenders this year, and incorporates selected rounds of the MSA English Rally Championship and Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship within its nine round Series.
The crew that captures the premier Gold Star Championship will be rewarded with a free entry into the three-day National Rally (15-17 November) being run alongside Wales Rally GB. What's more the winners of the BTRDA Rally First Championship - a class for lower cost two-wheel-drive production cars - will receive a free entry into the two-day version of the National Rally (16-17 November) once again running on exactly the same classic Welsh forest stages as Wales Rally GB.
Charlie Payne (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) is the leading Gold Star Driver in the championship standings after the seventh round, and James West (London) is currently in the running for winning the Rally First series.
“I’m watching the BRC and BTRDA leader boards in anticipation, as we edge closer and closer to Wales Rally GB, which is now just 10 weeks away! With the two national series nearing their end of season, it’s exciting to see which names will be potentially lining up on the same forest stages as the leading WRC competitors,” said Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of IMS.
BRC Managing Director, Mark Taylor, commented: “It’s a pleasure to be working with the Wales Rally GB organisers in an even closer capacity this year, to promote rallying in the UK. Providing incentives to our drivers to compete at a higher level on the WRC stage is the best way to open up the sport and encourage more people to participate, whether it be competing or spectating. The competition is very close in this year’s BRC, and our drivers will be fighting it out to try and make sure they get one of the valuable starts in Wales in November.”
BTRDA Championship Coordinator, Steve Gregg, said: “We are looking forward to seeing two of our BTRDA competitors taking up this superb opportunity to compete within a world-class event, at the pinnacle of rallying. As our Championship is now heading towards its penultimate round, we wish our drivers in contention for the Wales Rally GB drives all the best and I personally can’t wait for what will be a truly classic WRC event in North Wales.”

Wales Rally GB Tickets

For general admittance, Wales Rally GB adult tickets to individual forest stages on the day have been reduced to £15* (from £20 in 2012) while Day Passes have been re-introduced providing multiple stage access for just £33* including the Qualifying Stage at Llandegla on Thursday morning. Moreover all adult tickets include a free programme priced at £7.50. The popular ‘Kids for a Quid’ scheme has been extended providing those aged between 9-15 years old with a four-day ticket giving access to all 22 stages for just £1*. Those aged eight and under are admitted free. Though included in Day Passes, individual tickets for RallyFest Stages are also available priced at £25* with significant discounts available for families. The price for two adults and two children, for example, is £42* with an extra £1* for each additional child. The World Rally Pass is available for just £99 (down from £130 in 2012). Full details can be found on the officialwww.walesrallygb.com websites, now with a dedicated version optimised for mobile phones via www.walesrallygb.com/mobile/home.php.

For further updates follow Wales Rally GB on Twitter @walesrallygb, join the conversations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walesrallygb or visit the website www.walesrallygb.com.

NEWS: Wales Rally GB Gets Better & Better

More great Rally GB news! First the exciting new North Wales route and now – after six front-runners from the MSA British Rally Championship already gained free entries into Wales Rally GB – a similar partnership has been launched with the British Trial and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA).
International Motor Sports – organiser of Wales Rally GB – announced the news this week of "an exciting new partnership with the prestigious BTRDA Rally Series as another key component to its far-reaching ‘Road to Wales’ initiative."
They say: "In IMS’s strenuous efforts to ensure the new-look Wales Rally GB (14-17 November) is a fitting finale to both the globe-trotting FIA World Rally Championship and to the busy UK rallying season, every effort is being made to encourage top local crews to maximise their end-of-season opportunity to compete on the illustrious world stage.
"The REIS-Get Connected BTRDA Rally Series is the most popular Championship in the UK with over 260 registered contenders this year, and incorporates selected rounds of the MSA English Rally Championship and Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship within its nine round Series. The crew that captures the premier Gold Star Championship will be rewarded with a free entry into the three-day National Rally (15-17 November) being run alongside Wales Rally GB. What’s more the winners of the BTRDA Rally First Championship – a class for lower cost two-wheel-drive production cars – will receive a free entry into the two-day version of the National Rally (16-17 November), once again running on exactly the same classic Welsh forest stages as Wales Rally GB."
"We are determined to ensure our round of the World Rally Championship sits at the pinnacle of a thriving UK rallying scene," said Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of IMS. "This is one of the few sports where enthusiastic amateurs, as well as budding young stars keen to make a name for themselves, can compete alongside world champions and it should be the one big end-of-season event on which everyone wants to compete. That’s why we are doing everything we can to encourage and assist the cream of UK rallying, whether competing in the BTRDA or British Rally Championships, to be a part of what’s going to be a massive and unmissable Wales Rally GB – hence the provision of these free entries. It will not only be a great experience for the winners but also provide spectators with even more top class action to follow."
BTRDA Championship Coordinator Steve Gregg is thrilled with IMS’s generous proposition. He said: "The British Trials and Rally Drivers Association is delighted to be offered these prizes by the Wales Rally GB organisers. As the largest rally championship in the country, this invitation gives our BTRDA competitors the opportunity and incentive to compete in the UK’s premier event. It will also ensure that the BTRDA maintains its long association with the event having provided a Team Entry for its members on previous rallies.
"The choice of the overall BTRDA Gold Star Champion and the Rally First Champion to receive these prizes also ensures that spectators will have the opportunity to see both the country’s top national driver as well as a Rally First driver from one of the most successful formulae introduced by the BTRDA to encourage and retain competitors into the sport,” continued Gregg.
"Wales Rally GB in all its previous guises was always an event that British competitors, including many who came from the BTRDA Rally Series, had on their ‘must do’ list and we hope this new partnership will encourage more to take up the challenge and support the excellent opportunity the event now provides for British competitors."
This new collaboration between the UK’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship and the BTRDA provides yet more impetus to the well-received ‘Road to Wales’ campaign – a targeted activity promoting Wales Rally GB with special displays at major events such as the renowned Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (14-16 June), Castle Combe’s popular Rallyday (21 September) and selected rounds of the MSA British Rally Championship.
For the latest updates, directions and stage information, follow Wales Rally GB on Twitter @walesrallygb, join the conversations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walesrallygb  or visit the website www.walesrallygb.com