SOJOURN IN SWANSEA

The day before Wales Rally GB took to the Welsh forests in earnest, some 40 hardy members of the MIA braved the elements to see for themselves just what modern WRC rallying is all about. As guests of the organisers and the Welsh Automotive Forum, they enjoyed a privileged bird's eye view of the final practising and preparation by the top teams.

In the morning, they spent a couple of hours viewing the competitors attuning themselves and their cars to the conditions on the special ‘shakedown' stage in Penllegaer Forest. The teams may only have been driving 7/10ths, but the stones still flew and the spectacle was a great insight into the skill of the drivers and the competence of the cars.

A magnificent lunch was laid on for the party at the Technium Centre in Swansea, during which they received three very informative presentations. Andrew Coe of International Motor Sports (the events and commercial subsidiary of the MSA) told them that there were 121 entries from 32 countries on the rally, making it the biggest WRC round since 2001. It also marked the first year of a new five-year deal for Wales Rally GB, so was cause for further celebration. The 17 timed stages included one within the fabulous Millennium Stadium, the WRC's only fully enclosed test.

The Championship's own Simon Young expounded on how the rally was a showcase for the area's industry and tourism and would be televised in 186 countries following the collection of 200 hours of related footage. He explained how every team can track their cars' every move via a combination of the WRC plane, satellite communication and some very sophisticated telemetry.

Business Development Opportunities
Tim Williams of the 10 year old Welsh Automotive Forum talked of the rally as a business development opportunity and confirmed that the area was a hotbed of automotive technology and innovation, boasting major production plants for Ford and Toyota, supported by an array of top tier one suppliers.

The discussion could no doubt have continued for some long time, but the remainder of the day had been allocated to visiting the Subaru and Ford teams within the centralised service area at Swansea docks. The party was stunned at the sophistication of these temporary resources, the hi-tech elements of which would shame even the best of road car dealerships. A mix of trailer units and marquees linked to provide remarkably acceptable, weatherproof working conditions for the engineers. With whole areas dedicated to: control-to-car communication; engineering solutions; tyre fitment, shaving and cutting; suspension geometry etc, almost every eventuality is catered for. This almost Formula One-like quality of support certainly is a far cry from the ‘Transit in a field' backup of the old RAC Rally days.

The visit was a real insight into this very successful automotive area of the UK and to top class rallying and therefore a most educational day for all involved. MIA Member Ian Williamson, organiser of Race Retro, said, "I have always fought shy of visiting the rally under my own steam, but will be happy to return now my eyes have been opened by the MIA day."

Said Paula Barnsley of the MIA, "The organisers were very encouraged by the turnout of MIA members and the interest the visit generated. So much so in fact, that a greater industry involvement in the rally is already being planned for 2008."