Thursday | 14 Aug 2014

Germany countdown: the stages

Some new, some old and some familiar but with a twist – that’s the menu competitors will taste next week at ADAC Rallye Deutschland (21 - 24 August), round nine of the FIA World Rally Championship.

First the new. Friday’s opening leg includes two passes over the unused 16.40km Waxweiler in the Eifel hills, close to the Belgian border. There are also new sections in Saturday’s military area action, including the final 6.65km of the headline Panzerplatte stage.

There’s plenty of the old. After 2013’s Cologne visit, the start will revert to Trier’s stunning Porta Nigra Roman gate. And, as usual, the stages will be based on twisty vineyard roads along the Mosel river, faster tests in northern Saarland and Baumholder’s military training area.

And the twists? Well, Friday’s Moselland stage and both Sunday’s tests will use essentially the same roads as last year, but in the opposite direction.

Tight vineyard stages provide spectacular backdrops

After Thursday evening’s start, Friday contains a mix of country roads, vineyard tracks and hilly sections in the Eifel mountains and all three stages will be used twice.

Saturday is the longest leg and contains a mix of everything the rally has to offer. More vineyard and country roads are a warm-up for the daunting Panzerplatte stages on Baumholder.

There are two separate tests there. A short 3.03km stage, most of which can be viewed from the main spectator area, is followed by a 42.51km challenge which includes everything the tank training roads can throw at drivers.

Sunday is entirely in the vineyards, with two tests run twice. The second pass through Grafschaft forms the live TV Power Stage, with bonus points on offer to the fastest three drivers.

The 18 stages cover 326.02km in a total route of 1305.79km.

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