RallyRACC 2012 to start from Barcelona

(17/07/2012)

RallyRACC & Barcelona

The 48 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España 2012 (8 to 11 November) will start from Barcelona. As a new link in their policy to stake on renowned sports events in order to boost the city's international promotion, Barcelona will be host to the official ceremonial start of the closing round of the 2012 FIA Rally World Championship, as a prelude to the running of the first timed stages at the Costa Daurada in Tarragona.

The agreement has been submitted today by the deputy mayor of quality of life, equality and sports for the City Council of Barcelona, Maite Fandos; Sebastià Salvadó, President of the RACC; Ivan Tibau, General Secretary of the Sports area of the Generalitat de Catalunya and Aman Barfull, Clerk of the Course of the RallyRACC.

The collaboration agreement signed between the RACC and the Barcelona City Council will allow for the Catalan capital to host for the first time a scoring race of the World Rally Championship, the biggest rally show worldwide, thus incorporating the event in the stake the city is making on sports in order to promote themselves throughout the world. The Rally World Championship in 2012, is one of the several major sports events to be staged in the Barcelona, such as the X Games and the Swimming World Championships, both to be held in 2013.

Although it is well known that the world championship event has its nerve centre at the Costa Daurada in Tarragona - with Salou and PortAventura as major points of action and attraction - the inclusion of Barcelona as official starting point, with the approval of the FIA, provides the event with an additional wink that will add new inputs to the race to the benefit of the race as such and the city as well, making it possible for thousands of new spectators to experience on site the brilliant preamble of this meeting that will gather the crème de la crème of rallying in the main streets of the city, offering images that had never been seen before.

BCN's date with the WRC: Thursday, 8 November
The RallyRACC 2012, closing round of the FIA World Rally Championship and of all the support championships, will celebrate the official ceremonial start from the podium which will be set-up on the Cathedral Avenue at 07.30 pm on Thursday 8 November.

This dazzling ceremony will be the culmination of a brilliant but frantic day of activities for the competition, with expectation accompanying every single movement of drivers, cars and teams.

From 08.00 am to 02.00 pm the drivers run the new Qualifying Stage (former Shakedown), in the middle of Salou, the city that will this year be host to another of the great novelties: a true urban stage on its Promenade. At the same time, in Barcelona, on the Cathedral Avenue and from 10.00 am to 02.00 pm there will be an activity for children, called “Bicivisme” (Civility on the bike) promoted by the City Council and the RACC Foundation to encourage an interest in road safety in children, with theory and practical classes on bicycles. At 01.30 pm, the venue yet to be confirmed, there will be an event by the Action for Road Safety campaign that wants to get the road safety values of the FIA Foundation, the RACC Foundation and the Barcelona Town Council closer to the citizens.

Early in the afternoon, and starting from Salou, all teams will cover the 100 kilometres that will take them from the capital of the Costa Daurada to the Cathedral Square (Plaza de la Catedral) in Barcelona, and park their machines there under parc fermé conditions. At 05.30 pm and right behind of the start podium, all priority drivers will communicate their choice as regards the start order for the first competitive rally day, based on the results of the morning's QS.

The show won't stop for a single moment for all those spectators attending the event, as after the pre-rally press conference with the main drivers, open to the media the stars of the world championship will be signing autographs for the fans , at 06.30 pm and for 30 minutes.

The highlight will be the ceremonial start at 07.30 pm, as the 8-times World Rally Champions Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena, with their Citroën DS3 WRC and the competition number 1 will be the first crew driving down the podium on the Cathedral Avenue in the heart of the city. This will be a liaison route during which all the traffic regulations will be strictly respected giving priority to safety during the whole trip. As it will be a very eye-catching and media attracting event that will be followed live by a large amount of people, it will also be followed by several media and TVs from the whole world.

Timing of the RallyRACC in Barcelona: Thursday, 8 November 2012
10.30 am to 02.00 pm: Bicivisme*, road safety activity for children
01.30 pm: Event FIA "Action for Road Safety" (pending confirmation)
05.30 pm: Election of the start positions* (priority drivers)
06.00 pm: Pre-rally press conference (Col.legi d’Arquitectes)
06.30 pm to 07.00 pm: Autograph session* (priority drivers)
07.00 pm: Family picture drivers & authorities on the podium
07.30 pm: Ceremonial start of the RallyRACC from the podium
(*) Next to the start podium on the Cathedral Avenue