Wales Rally GB- Anyone been?

[RJB_666]

I've been thinking about going to the rally GB in November. And in all honesty i know very little about the scene. The 4 day tickets went on sale not long ago and are priced at £99 so seem quite good value compared to other events.

Would anyone be able to give me any advice as a whole on the event? Accommodation especially, i don't fancy camping in Wales at that time of year.

Thanks,
Rich

[Gingerbread Man]

I've been a few times. I've always turned up to each stage and slept in the car. It's cold, muddy, normally wet and the days are short due to the time of year.

I'd recommend it! Wrap up warm, those chemical reaction hand warmers are good, along with many layers.

[RJB_666]

Gingerbread Man said:

I've been a few times. I've always turned up to each stage and slept in the car. It's cold, muddy, normally wet and the days are short due to the time of year.

I'd recommend it! Wrap up warm, those chemical reaction hand warmers are good, along with many layers.

Cheers for the advice.

The original idea was to take mountain bikes to get to the stages. I know moving around during the rally isn't recomended so it would probably be just to get there.

I'll make sure i take lots of layers i wouldn't be surprised if we were in minus figures again then.

[mybrainhurts]

We used to do the RAC when it was a real rally, not this emaciated apology for a sprint.

Started Saturday, ended Wednesday, South Wales, North Wales, Oulton, Lake District, Scotland, Kielder, North Yorkshire, Dukeries and bits dahhhn sarf...

Them wuz the days...

Edit...

And no admission charges...

Edited by mybrainhurts on Thursday 3rd June 22:12

[sirtyro]

Went 2 years ago and it was great fun! Especially when it gets dark. Just do lots of research on the stages!

[davepoth]

One of my earliest memories is Group B monsters booting it down Great Pultney Street in Bath on the '86 RAC rally.

[skeggysteve]

mybrainhurts said:

We used to do the RAC when it was a real rally, not this emaciated apology for a sprint.

I think it's called the Rally Around Cardiff these days!

MBH - the British round of the world championship (can't bring myself to call it the RAC) is such a different event compared to the real RAC.
Servicing in the sub zero temps, mud, snow, no sleep for 5 days - would I do it again?
Hell, yes!

[mybrainhurts]

...magic times

[moribund]

Modern WRC is not the same as rallying from the 80's - but that's the fault of the FIA not Rally GB. To be a WRC event they have to fit in the the FIA mileage and servicing requirements.

Anyway, back on topic - Rally GB is a great spectacle and event in it's own right. As you say, it's relatively cheap (although most foreign WRC events and many UK national events are completely free) and you can't beat the sights and sounds of a rally car at full chat, combined with sharing the roads back to Cardiff with them too - awesome. Last time I went I even managed to follow some of the lower order guys over the A4069 which was amazing.

All the info you need is on http://www.walesrallygb.com/. Have a good look at the maps and timetable for planning. Worth knowing that parking is generally the verges of forest tracks, and plan for cold wet weather. Once on the stage you can generally walk where you like. Dangerous areas near parking are taped off but you're not penned in, not in my experience anyway. My favourite stage is Halfway, loads of great viewpoints if you don't mind wandering about.

A previous thread for 2008 is here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... Rally GB&mid=65230

My pics from 2008: http://www.flickr.com/photos/giveitfish/sets/72157...

No catch fencing here!


If you fancy seeing some local events, check out this calendar. They're often just as exciting to watch as the WRC: http://www.ianhardy.net/british_rally_calendar.php

[moribund]

If it's not too far from you, the Dukeries Rally nr. Mansfield (Notts) is a cracker and it's on next weekend. Unfortunately clashes with Le Mans for me :-(

[mybrainhurts]

moribund said:

the Dukeries Rally

Did that a couple of times in the 60s...

[caz4213]

I went last year to watch the port talbot stage and then we went over to walter's arena to watch the final stage. First car in PT stage Loeb comes round the corner fully sideways with the C4's paint rubbing the trees on the outside of the corner, then on to the final stage where Hirvonen was wringing the car's neck around walter's arena... definitely very worth it in my book!

[timbo48]

My son and some friends used mountain bikes to visit stages for the last couple of years and it worked quite well. Last year they parked just outside Port Talbot and went cross country into the Margam stage (I think); year before parked at the Glyncorwwg Mountain Bike Centre and followed the Whites Levels trail up to the top. Be careful where you park the car and (obviously) don't ride on the stage when the cars are present. When they publish the stages it's fairly easy with a decent map to plan a route using a bike, and it saves money (not sure about the ethics of the last point).

[Marf]

Went once, wouldn't go again.

Spend ages travelling between stages, stand in the cold for 30 minutes, zoom zoom zoom, travel to next stage.

If I did a WRC event again it would be somewhere hot.

[Marf]

Yeah Corsica would be good, always wanted to do Spain as well.

[RJB_666]

Thanks for all the replies. I can see health and safety coming down on this in a few years so i want to go soon before spectating is restricted. I'll download the stage maps tonight and start organising it. My brother knows Wales quite well so he'll be put in charge of the route.

Might see if i can check out a few of the national rallies from moribunds link also. Some aren't too far away.

[F i F]

mybrainhurts said:

We used to do the RAC when it was a real rally, not this emaciated apology for a sprint.

Started Saturday, ended Wednesday, South Wales, North Wales, Oulton, Lake District, Scotland, Kielder, North Yorkshire, Dukeries and bits dahhhn sarf...

Them wuz the days...

Edit...

And no admission charges...

This^^

Last time I did the event we had 3 * 20 mile stages just in Kielder alone, with one service stop. Plus that was on the way back into North Yorkshire after the Cumbrian and Scottish borders loop and a couple of spectator specials. That was all after the first day spectator stuff which included Dukeries stages, and a full 36 hour loop in Wales. :so tired:

Mind you easy to keep awake using Sando Munari's Stratos as a road clearer through spectator traffic from Clocaenog to service as we were both running so late due to an off in our case, mechanicals in his.

At least we were having fun until North Wales' finest stepped out to "Just have a word boyos." They were indeed North Wales' finest in those days too. Gave us a bking and then told us to get on with it.

It's interesting that in their official history they only talk about mileage on the old events, What was it last year? 16 stages most of them run twice, 217 miles in total.

Puffs.

[Jez64]

Have a look at this,

http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org/

A bit more like the event of old.

[pixelpimp]

Same old tedious tripe about WRC I see, blah blah, Group B, rant rant RAC, yawn MK2 Escorts, oh those were the days.
This season is already shaping up to be good, for those who actually enjoy rallying - and almost as un-engineered as F1.
If you've got a chance to see Wales Rally, enjoy it. Make sure you get to Halfway and Sweet Lamb, don't bother with the service park though, unless it's Swansea it's a chore.
Nothing compares to a WRC car at full chat, yes the old times were nice but seriously change the tune.

[F i F]

No