29/09/2008
RallyRACC opens its service park and headquarters

Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford). Germany 08

The Service Park of the 44 movistar RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, twelfth round of the World Rally Championship comes into operation today, Monday, 29th September. The event, that will be drawing the attention on motor sports throughout the week, will be raced from 3 to 5 October, and the parking area of the PortAventura theme park will be hosting all services attached to competition, while the race office and the media centre will be located in the adjacent Hotel PortAventura.

The trucks of the official teams arrived at the facilities yesterday, but the team structures as such will be available for their use from today. Thus, the Service Park is already working and most of the car are either already there or will be arriving in the coming hours, while the drivers are getting ready to start with the reconnaissance which is scheduled for tomorrow.

The Rally Headquarters, including the Rally Secretariat will also be opening today (Monday) in the Hotel PortAventura, meaning the start of the administrative checks during which competitors will receive rally documentation and material, as well as the specific safety tracking system for the reconnaissance cars.

Administrative checks will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, which is the day planned for reconnaissance, as well as Wednesday, and the FIA safety tracking systems for rally cars will be distributed as well. On Wednesday, 1 October, the media centre will be opened, and the cars will have to undergo scrutineering, where they will have pieces sealed and their weight checked.

Thursday, will be the day of the Shakedown (Vilanova d'Escornalbou), of the FIA pre-event press conference (in the media centre from 13.30hrs, with the attendance of Spanish driver Dani Sordo, amongst others), as well as of the starting ceremony on the official podium at the Salou Promenade.  From Friday 3 to Sunday 5, the Rally de España will be covering the roads described in the itinerary.

A total of 79 cars have entered the 44 movistar RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, including 27 WRCars, 18 participants of the J-WRC, 16 of the 4x4 Production class, and 17 completely Spanish crews, led by the duo Dani Sordo-Marc Martí (Citroën C4 WRC).