WALES RALLY GB Shakedown

The FIA World Rally Championship, which began on the frozen roads in Sweden in February, will finish in the Welsh forests. Cold, rain and mud are on the Wales Rally GB menu and the event will be run on a route that has undergone major changes compared to the previous rallies. The start will be given on Thursday in Llandudno in the north of the country. The stages will be concentrated around the little town of Builth Wells. The cars will not return to Cardiff except for the parc fermé and the podium.

Sébastien Ogier has been on the topmost step of the podium five times this season (Portugal, Jordan, Greece, Germany and France). The driver of the no. 2 DS3 WRC is no longer in the running for the world title after his retirement in Spain, but he is assured of a place in the top three in the 2011 World Rally Championship. “I’m happy to be back racing in this event, even if it doesn’t have only good memories for me. As the manufacturers’ title is already in the bag, I can drive without any pressure where scoring points for the team is concerned. Finishing on the podium would be a good result for me. With regards to the Drivers’ World Championship, Seb is determined to be master of his own destiny by finishing in front of Mikko. But it’s obvious that if circumstances require it I’ll do everything I can to help him win the title.”

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