07/07/2009
Tarragona looking forward to the 45 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA

The County Council of Tarragona was the setting chosen to sign the cooperation agreement to make the 45th edition of the RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, become once again a successful experience for the Tarragona area.  The 11th and penultimate scoring round of the FIA World Rally Championship (8th round of the Junior WRC) will be staged from 1 to 4 October 2009 based in Salou and PortAventura, and with a route designed around the privileged Costa Daurada, which gathers thousands of visitors during the rally, attracted by the world of motor sports, but also by the landscape, the infrastructure and the available leisure offer.

This renewed alliance between the RACC, the Tarragona County Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Salou Town Council, the Costa Daurada Tourist Board and Port Aventura is strengthened by the unquestionable media, economic and popular impact of the world championship event, and the fact of being a major economic stimulus for the whole area.

As attractive as in 2008
The RACC, organiser of the race, has staked on continuity as regards the itinerary of the 2009 edition. The route of the 45 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, will consist of 18 special stages that will be covered along three rally days, with a total of 1,299.13 kilometres, 353.62 of which will be timed. Just like last year, the Shakedown will be held on Thursday, October 1st, the same day of the start ceremony that will be held at 20.00h on the Salou Promenade.

With the daily start and finish from the Service Park in PortAventura, the event will consist of 18 special stages. Every day, the participants will have to cover three stages twice. The stages to be run on Friday are La Mussara, Querol and El Montmell, on Saturday it will be the turn of El Priorat-La Ribera d’Ebre, Les Garrigues and La Llena, to finish on Sunday with Riudecanyes, Santa Marina and Serra d’Almos before reaching the final podium located on the Salou promenade from 15.07h. 

The RallyRACC on the 2010 WRC calendar
The RallyRACC, Rally de España, will form part of the 2010 calendar after the decision taken a couple of days ago by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. The Spanish round will be once again the penultimate scoring round out of 13, and will be held in late October (from 22nd to 24th). The good performance of the RACC and the fact that the rallies of Indonesia and Russia did not pass the FIA inspection and that Monte Carlo Rally does not wish to be back in the calendar until 2011, have allowed the Rally de España to continue in the championship without having to take a break as initially planned.

New headquarters in PortAventura
The inauguration of the “PortAventura Convention Centre” coinciding with the RallyRACC shows the importance of the Rally de España for the leading theme park in Spain. Fully consolidated in the leisure and holiday business, this new Convention Centre is a facility that offers an excellent alternative for the corporate and association business, making PortAventura a European benchmark destination as regards the organization of meetings, conventions and events of all kinds.
 
The new Convention Centre is a facility covering more than 6,000 m2 on two floors that will be hosting the headquarters and the media centre of the RallyRACC. Although the rally will only be using a part of the immense facility, it is worth mentioning that the ground floor has a huge multifunctional 2,500 m2 room that can be turned into an auditorium with a capacity for 1,250 people. The second floor has five multi-purpose rooms on 1,800 m2 and a total capacity for 1,900 people, as well as an auditorium for 150 people and a noble room.

Main dates of the RallyRACC 2009
6 July - Entry period opens
7 July – Signature of the cooperation agreement (Tarragona County Council)
1 August – Publication of the Regulations (www.rallyracc.com)
10 September – Publication of the entry list (www.rallyracc.com)
1 October – Shakedown
2 to 4 October – Race days (Salou-PortAventura)