10 years ago, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena won in Wales to win their 8th crown

“Totally!” From the 3rd special. » Asserted shortly before the start, the sentence is revealing of Mikko Hirvonen’s state of mind. This year, the British round is innovating. It still takes place exclusively in Wales, but this time it travels in all directions. If the single service park is located in Builth Wells, in the center of the country, the start is given in the seaside town of Llandudno, located 200 km further north. Thursday November 10, the first section of the first stage includes three special stages. The first two circumnavigate the Great Orme’s Head peninsula. They are short (4,74 km) and take place on tarmac. Then, with the same tires, the participants begin a 70 km connection to reach Clocaenog, a former Mecca of the event, when it still bore the name RAC Rally. “We attack through the most difficult forest,” exclaims Jari-Matti Latvala. When we recognized it, it was cold and there was ice. Now everything has melted and there is slush everywhere. Changes in grip are as sharp as they are frequent. At nightfall, it is impossible to read the road. Traps will be everywhere. »

If the pressure is not yet perceptible during the press conference before rally it will very quickly go up a notch. © DPPI

La – relative – prudence de son équipier Hirvonen sur les ES 1 et 2 a pour but de préserver ses pneus terre à gomme tendre de toute dégradation excessive avant de rejoindre la forêt. Pour débusquer le point stop particulièrement bien mas