01/10/2007
RallyRACC: The WRCars start to arrive in PortAventura

RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA 2006

Since Sunday, the different official teams of the WRC have started to settle in the Service Park of PortAventura, meaning that the 43 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, has finally reached its race week. With the logistic base established in the large theme park in Tarragona, drivers are also arriving today, Monday, given the fact, that they will only have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow (from 08h00 to 19h00) to make the reconnaissance of the timed stages.

During these first days of the week they will also be carrying out the sporting checks and scrutineering and they will get the FIA safety tracking system for all participating cars. The rally secretariat was opened early this morning and the media centre will be opened from Wednesday. The whole administrative base will be located in the Hotel PortAventura, close to the Service Park and the RallyRACC Village.

All teams agree in that this 2007 Rally de España will be a sprinted race, fast, but also very technical, meaning that the least little problem may lead to a complete loss of any chance to fight for the victory. The route outlined by RACC Motor Sport for this 43rd edition of the RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, despite being rather similar to the route in 2006 as regards orography and type of road, presents a very varied and highly demanding configuration, including some major novelties. The big stake of RACC Motor Sport has been to offer a high-level road offering both drivers and spectators the highest possible safety and an easy and quick intervention in case it is needed.

On the first leg (Friday, October 5th) drivers will make two passages of the Querol (25.43 km) and El Montmell (24.14 kms) stages, an intense start, which will with no doubt establish the first differences, including a refuelling point in Valls and a service in PortAventura at the end of the first and second loop. In the afternoon, it will be time for the stages El Lloar-La Figuera (22.43 kms) and Pratdip (26.48 kms), thus closing a first, long and complicated day of competition.

The second day (Saturday, October 6th) is made up by 8 specials, including the main changes. Competitively speaking, the day starts in Vilaplana, a little bit shorter than before and with some variation compared to the previous edition. Its 13.29 kilometres have been completely re-asphalted and have been fitted with a guard-rail in 98% of the route, thus clearly increasing safety. It will be followed by the great novelty of this edition of the RallyRACC, the Coll del Grau stage (26.33 km), a long, selective stage with constant pace changes, Margalef-La Palma d'Ebre (15.85 km) and finally La Serra d'Almos (4.11 km), which despite being the shortest stage of the event, and a novelty as well, is also the venue of the Shakedown (Thursday, October 4th), but covered in opposite direction (raced from La Serra d'Almos to Tivissa). This last stage will be closing the leg after a second passage. These four stages will make up two service-free loops which may become decisive for the race.

And last but not least, the third leg (Sunday, October 7th) will be made up by the stages Riudecanyes (16.32 km) and Colldejou (26.51 km, the longest of the race), which participants will cover twice with service at the end of the first loop. Colldejou is the Pratdip stage of the first leg but covered in opposite direction, while Riudecanyes uses a section of the road which was already used in 1999 and 2000 in opposite direction including 4 km of the former state highway at the beginning.