The 2019 edition of Wales Rally GB kicked off in front of the iconic Royal Liver Building in Liverpool this evening after a ceremonial start saw the rally beginning in England for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Ahead of three days in the classic north Wales forests, a huge crowd gathered on the new Liverpool waterfront development to see a combined entry (WRC and National) of more than 150 cars, including more than 50 international entries, flagged off.
Newly crowned British Rally Champion Matt Edwards had the honour of being the first driver over the start ramp in his Hyundai i20 R5 before setting off for the first special stage at Oulton Park near Chester before attacking his home forests tomorrow morning.
Among the stars on the opening stage was Olympic cyclist turned road racer and rally driver, Sir Chris Hoy who had the honour of driving the late Colin McRae’s 1996 RAC Rally winning Subaru Impreza on the circuit to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the running of Rally GB.
“It’s terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure because you have this iconic car of so many people’s hero, my hero certainly, and you want to do it justice but you also don’t want to damage it,” said Hoy who was buzzing after his run in the car.
“The thought of doing any damage at all or hitting a wall is just unbearable, I was having nightmares about it last night. I thought I just need to get round but equally, as the great man himself [McRae] would say, ‘if in doubt flat out’.
Co-driving the decorated Olympian was Colin’s father Jimmy McRae.
Fans didn’t have long to wait for the WRC action to begin Oulton Park soon echoed to the sound of the flame-spitting World Rally Cars, each taking on the 2.2mile opening stage of the rally in early evening darkness which included both Tarmac and gravel surfaces with the obligatory RAC type water slash.
And to the home crowd’s delight, it was Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke and co-driver Seb Marshall who topped the timing sheets and the overnight rally lead, 2.1s faster than Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.
In a giant killing act, it was Petter Solberg in his VW Polo R5 who set the third fastest stage time with atrocious weather conditions, the leftovers of Hurricane Lorenzo, offering even more challenges than usual.
The WR Cars will hit the stages early tomorrow morning when they tackle nine stages over a total of 75 miles in the forests of north Wales including the classic Wales Rally GB stages of Dyfnant and Penmachno before taking on another night stage, Aberhirnant, before returning to the service park at Llandudno for the overnight halt.
2019 WALES RALLY GB
LEADERBOARD (After 1 of 22 special stages)
1. Kris Meeke/Seb Marshal – Toyota Yaris WRC – 2m 47.4sec
2. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul – Hyundai i20 WRC – +2.1sec
3. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills – Volkswagen Polo R5 – +3.3sec
4. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia – Citroen C3 WRC – +3.8sec
5. Andreas Mikkelsen/Andreas Jaeger – Hyundai i20 WRC – +4.1sec
6. Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm – Citroen C3 WRC – +4.7sec
7. Matthew Edwards/Mark Glennerster – Hyundai i20 R5 – +5.4sec
8. Jari-Matti Latvala/ Miikka Anttila – Toyota Yaris WRC – +5.7sec
9. Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen – Skoda Fabia R5 – +5.8sec
10. Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak – Volkswagen Polo R5 – +6.1 sec
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