QUALITY STAGES PLANNED FOR RALLY NORTH WALES THIS SEASON
Rally North Wales will bounce back in 2023 to run some of the best gravel stages in Wales after experiencing major problems in 2022.
Shortly before Christmas, Motorsport News was granted exclusive access to the planned stages to see at first hand the effort that the organisers are putting in to deliver the best-possible road conditions for the March 25 rally.
Rally North Wales has traditionally delivered top quality stages as the season’s first major rally in Wales. However, the 2022 event drew widespread criticism after harvesting work close to the rally left some sections of stage in a poor condition.
To rebuild the rally’s reputation, the Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club has extensively reworked the route. From a new base in Welshpool, stages in Dyfnant, Dyfi and Gartheiniog are planned with the shorter Cwm Celli stage in reserve should it be needed. Midday service will be in Dolgellau.
Competitors will head straight into a long Dyfnant stage, not used since the 2021 Roger Albert Clark Rally, and incorporating the little used north western section of the forest. The well-known ‘Big Ray’ stage in Dyfi is likely to be split into two stages to avoid running competitively over a section of damaged road, while a shorter stage in Gartheiniog will only use the best roads available and some of the route will be changed between the two runs. The second run through Dyfnant will be reversed. Rally manager Eifion Jones told MN: “We’ve probably been overcautious with the route after last year. Running an event like this is a huge undertaking and the forests are a working environment. There is a diverse range of requirements and we have to respect that.”