Itinerary of the Rally de España 2011 presented today

(10/06/2011)

Today was the official presentation of the itinerary of the 47 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA. The singular novelties of the Rally de España 2011 that gets into greater detail with the mixed stages and including more selectiveness in the route, were unveiled to the media representatives gathered both in Barcelona (RACC headquarters) and in Tarragona (County Council) today. In its seventh consecutive year being completely staged in the Costa Daurada, with nerve centres in Salou and the PortAventura theme park, the Rally de España is adding a new link to its well-known work in favour of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The beginning of a new stage filled with novelties that started in the past edition of the Rally de España makes a further step forward in the 2011 edition. Thus, the RACC continues with its vocation to innovate which has always characterised this organiser and their aim to provide the World Championship with what it needs most: attraction and show.

A completely new gravel stage of 25.7 km, a mixed stage with two thirds of its 18.5 km also new, and the complicated 35.9-km mixed stage that opened the race in 2010, with its five surface changes, will be making up the first truly selective and uncertain day of the rally, an evolution that is as significant or even more significant than the change started last year. There are also two completely new tarmac stages, as well as the longest tarmac stage of the world championship which will be raced on the second day, with no less than 45.97 km, making up a very difficult and strategic set for the event.

In this edition, there will be an additional touch of difficulty with two night stages. The first night stage will be run at the end of the first day, with Les Garrigues being covered by all participants at night, and  the opening stage of day three, Santa Marina, for which the first 20 participants will need to have their lights on.

PortAventura, the ideal rally headquarters
The PortAventura theme park and all of its facilities will once again become the excellent nerve centre of the 47 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA. The large central car park will become again the rally's Service Park, while the Hotel Caribe Resort will be accommodating the largest part of the rally staff.

Optimal situation in the world championship calendar
The 47 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España 2011, is just like in previous seasons, the penultimate round of the FIA WRC, this time also as scoring round of the two most important support races, i.e the PWRC (Production) and the SWRC (Super 2000), being the penultimate and last scoring round of the respective series. All of this makes the RallyRACC decisive for the overall standings of the series.

Entry facilities
The facilities offered for drivers holding a Spanish license and non-seeded foreign drivers to enter the rally, together with the fact of being a scoring round for the most important world championship series, should provide for a large and high-quality entry list. The official entry period starts on August 23rd and finishes on September 19th, which will be the date on which the large number of World Rally Car entries expected will be confirmed, including the 11 teams registered for the Manufacturer's/Team's championship, joined by the Mini WRC Team, as they have chosen the Rally de España to test their Mini John Cooper Works on asphalt, with Spaniard Dani Sordo as first driver.

Moreover, there is a chance for the future works team of VW Motorsport to be taking part in the race with a Skoda Fabia S2000, to let their team make a test of this new speciality.

The organization in figures
The organization of a world championship round is not an easy task. Logistics, communication and infrastructure are essential, but the human factor is vital. It is a large operation efficiently supervised by the sporting area of the RACC.

The most important figure may be the 3,000 collaborators, including police forces, all of whom contribute to a good organization. Many of these people are volunteers from institutions and clubs who, just like spectators, are driven by their passion for the sport. There are 130 organization vehicles, with Seat as the Official vehicle make, together with 2 airplanes and 8 helicopters, in addition to other external 40 helicopters which have to be managed as well. Thus, strategy and several take-off and landing areas within the rally area contribute to the logistic sophistication. To reinforce safety, there are 19 fire-fighting trucks, 26 ambulances, 36 tow trucks and 300 radio transmitters, among many other elements.

Sponsors
A race with the significance and reach of the RallyRACC must count on the best technical and human infrastructures, but also on a support that will make the funding feasible. Together with the help offered by the Tourism Board of the Costa Daurada, the city of Salou and the PortAventura theme park, there is also the support of the Tarragona Chamber of Commerce, the Catalan Tourism Agency though their brand Catalunya, as well as Movistar, Seat and Cava Mestres.