The penultimate spherical of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season, Rally de España (October 25-27) provides a real arena because the most animated combined-ground tournament on the calendar.
The first day of the Salou-primarily based rally shall be mostly held on gravel roads sooner than the mechanics purchase centre-stage throughout a longer than frequent evening provider, as they’re going to drag to convert the automobiles to asphalt specification for the remainder two days. Following this overnight alternate, the drivers will possess to shortly adapt to the immediate and sweeping sealed ground, which is generally as compared with a drag circuit in its traits.
After his victory on Rally GB, Toyota’s Ott Tänak comes to Spain with a 28-point lead over his nearest rival in the drivers’ standings, Citroën driver Sébastien Ogier. The Estonian is upright a step a ways from glory as a glean in Spain would give him a maiden World Champion title. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville also stays in competitors, alternatively the Belgian holds a deficit of 41 solutions to Tänak. The wrestle is mighty nearer in the producers’ championship, where Hyundai leads Toyota by upright eight solutions.
2018 Rally de España winner Sébastien Loeb returns to WRC circulation for his first open since Portugal on the starting of June, alongside Spanish favorite Dani Sordo, who completes the Hyundai line-up at his home tournament. Jap driver Takamoto Katsuta drives a fourth Toyota Yaris WRC, entered by Tommi Mäkinen Racing, for the 2nd time following his convincing debut in Germany.
The newly-topped champion Kalle Rovanperä heads the FIA WRC 2 Pro discipline, with his Škoda personnel-mate Jan Kopecký, M-Sport driver Gus Greensmith and Citroën’s Mads Østberg now combating for the runner-up space.
The tip seven drivers in the FIA WRC 2 standings will all be in circulation as allotment of a formidable 19-automobile discipline, with Pierre-Louis Loubet defending his lead against rivals Benito Guerra, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Nikolay Gryazin. Spain’s rising neatly-known particular person Jan Solans will step as a lot as WRC 2 on his home rally, most animated a pair of weeks after his triumph in the FIA Junior WRC Championship, and could maybe compete against his brother Nils, the 2017 FIA Junior WRC champion.
THE 2019 ROUTE
Since 2002 the tournament has been primarily based in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou, 110 kilometres south of Barcelona, where the ceremonial open will purchase space on Thursday evening. Friday’s gravel leg includes two loops of three levels at the side of the longest of the tournament, the 38.85 kilometre “La Fatarella –Vilalba” velocity take a look at with a total lot of asphalt sections. After the fleshy swap to asphalt, Saturday takes the crews to the north for a repeated loop of three levels, sooner than an evening stage on the Salou seafront. Sunday facets two levels trek twice, at the side of “La Mussara”, which is visited for the first time since 2014 and could maybe serve because the rally-ending Power Stage.
RALLY DATA
| Total distance | 1.288.85 km |
| Stage distance: | 325.56 km (25.26%) |
| Replacement of levels: | 17 |
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
The Accreditation Desk is positioned at PortAventura World, Convention Centre (Av. Alcalde Pere Molas Km. 2, 43480 Vila-Seca – Salou).
The opening hours are:
| Tuesday 22 October: | 14: 00 – 20: 00 |
| Wednesday 23 October: | 08: 00 – 20: 00 |
| Thursday 24 October: | 08: 00 – 20: 00 |
| Friday 25 October: | 07: 30 – 14: 00 |
2019 RALLY DE ESPAÑA TIMETABLE & MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA
| Wednesday 23 October | |
| Needed media safety briefing, Photographers’ Room, Media Center | 17: 00 hrs |
| Thursday 24 October | |
| Needed Shakedown for P1 & P2P, Salou space | 09: 00 – 10: 30 hrs |
| Shakedown for all Priority drivers (P1, P2P, P2), Salou space | 10: 45 – 12: 45 hrs |
| Shakedown (others), Salou space | 13: 00 – 14: 30 hrs |
| ‘Meet the Crews’ Top 3 Shakedown, Michelin stage, PortAventura SP | 13: 15 hrs |
| FIA Press Convention, Press Room, Media Center, HQ Convention Centre | 14: 00 hrs |
| Starting up with P2P & P2 drivers (10’) | |
| Followed by P1 drivers (10’) | |
| Autograph signing session for P1 crews, Salou, Passeig Jaume 1 | 18: 00 – 18: 30 hrs |
| Household photograph with authorities & P1 crews, Salou, Passeig Jaume 1 | 18: 40 hrs |
| Ceremonial open, Podium, Salou, Passeig Jaume 1 | 19: 00 hrs |
| Friday 25 October | |
| Launch of Piece 1, PortAventura SP | 08: 00 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for regroup, media zone & provider, PortAventura SP | 13: 08 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for regroup, media zone & final provider, PortAventura SP | 19: 41 hrs |
| ‘Meet the Crews’ post-Leg 1, Michelin stage, PortAventura SP | For the period of the 45’ provider |
| Saturday 26 October | |
| Launch of Piece 3, PortAventura SP | 07: 30 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for regroup, media zone & provider, PortAventura SP | 12: 00 hrs |
| First automobile arrives to regroup after SS12, Salou | 17: 12 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for media zone, regroup & final provider, PortAventura SP | 17: 50 hrs |
| ‘Meet the Crews’ post-Leg 2, Michelin stage, PortAventura SP | For the period of the 45’ provider |
| Sunday 27 October | |
| Launch of Piece 6, PortAventura SP | 07: 30 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for regroup, media zone & provider, PortAventura SP | 09: 38 hrs |
| First automobile arrives for Regroup after SS16, Les Borges del Camp | 11: 25 hrs |
| Rally Perform, TC17D sooner than Podium Salou, Passeig Jaume 1 | 14: 01 hrs |
| Podium Ceremony & Mark Giving, Podium Salou, Passeig Jaume 1 | From 15: 00 hrs |
| FIA Press Convention, Press Room, Media Center, HQ Convention Centre | 16: 00 hrs |
FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE
| Thursday 24 October | FIA WRC |
| Ott TÄNAK (EST), Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Group | |
| Sébastian OGIER (FRA), Citroën Total World Rally Group | |
| Dani SORDO (ESP), Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Group | |
| Elfyn EVANS (GBR), M-Sport Ford World Rally Group | |
| FIA WRC 2 Pro | |
| Gus GREENSMITH (GBR), M-Sport Ford | |
| Mads ØSTBERG (NOR), Citroën Total | |
| FIA WRC 2 | |
| Pierre-Louis LOUBET (FRA) | |
| Jan SOLANS (ESP) | |
| Sunday 27 October | A hit FIA WRC 2 Pro Championship crew |
| A hit FIA WRC 2 Championship crew | |
| Top three crews in the total classification | |
| Representative of the successful producer |
2019 RALLY DE ESPAÑA, MANUFACTURER ENTRIES
| Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (#11) |
| Dani Sordo / Carlos Del Barrio (#6) | |
| Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (#19) | |
| Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (#8) |
| Kris Meeke / Sebastian Marshall (#5) | |
| Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (#10) | |
| Citroën Total WRT | Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (#1) |
| Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (#4) | |
| M-Sport Ford WRT | Teemu Suninen / Jarmo Lehtinen (#3) |
| Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (#33) |
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