Wales Rally GB

First run in 1932, the Rally of Great Britain is one of the oldest rallies in the world and was known for many years as the RAC Rally. The event has been a qualifying round of the WRC every year since the series was established in 1973.

From its early beginnings as a national event that roamed around the country and included stages in the North-East, Scotland, the Lake District, the North-West and the Midlands, the action, particularly since 2000, has been focussed on Wales.

The gravel forest stages of south and mid-Wales are fast and flowing and, when wet, can become as slippery as any in the world. And in a country famed for its lush greenery, rain, and lots it, is always a possibility. As well as the forestry roads, the event features stages on exposed military land to the north of Brecon, which are prone to fog. Accurate pace notes are essential throughout.

As it has in recent years, the Welsh capital Cardiff hosts the ceremonial start and the finish, as well as the Service Park - which moved from Swansea to Cardiff Bay for the first time in 2009.

New for 2010

For the first time, Cardiff Bay will play host to a special stage which will run twice on the evenings of Thursday 11 and Saturday 13 November.

Old school Rally GB fans will be pleased to see the event return to the Radnor Forest stage in Powys for the first time in 11 years. The ultra fast stage 13km section will be run twice on Saturday.

Wales Rally GB will be the last in the current era of two-litre World Rally Cars. Fifteen of the cutting-edge World Rally Cars will make one final pass through the Welsh woods before they are replaced by all-new 1.6-litre machinery in time for the start of next season.