Well, another Wales Rally GB (WRGB) is over, a full two months earlier than last years. I'm not totally convinced with the earlier date for the event, although the days are longer (in theory) which you would think would provide more light for photographs on the early and later stages, this wasn't exactly the case. The weather, although mostly dry, was cold and quite dull, but thankfully not foggy which can be a blight for the November/December dates. There's also something intangible about the dark mornings and short days of the early winter which I prefer to September, I remember quite fondly sitting in an old pub in Tremadog after the days stages, with a pint, a pie and chips and a blazing log fire. I made much more of a holiday out of the event, going up to North Wales a day early, but that was last year!
I went to the shakedown/qualification stage in Walters arena, arriving at about 13:20, basing my time of arrival on the information on the website - that it started at 2pm. I was pretty annoyed to find out that the shakedown had been running for sometime and that the qualification started at 2. You could easily argue that it was my fault, and I'd put my hands up and say 'ok, I should have got there earlier' but when the site said that shakedown / qualification started at 2pm, I thought that arriving 40 minutes earlier was ample. Based on the lack of cars in the car park and the face that people were arriving after the qualification has finished, I wasn't the only person who had been caught out.
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Mini in Qualification.
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I drove each day from home to the stages, normally I'd grab some sleep in the car, but it was to light this year, and I arrived later than I would normally so I headed straight out to find a perch! The first thing that struck me this year was how empty the car parks were, and of course from this, how quiet the stages were, far fewer spectators than previous years. Whether this was because of the early date of the event, the current economic issues in the world, lack of WRC cars, lack of interest or because of the bizarre ticketing structure (or a combination of these) I can only guess.
For the past 6 years I've bought my tickets in advance, either day passes or a Rally pass, based on what time I can get off from work. It was considerably more expensive this year, I bought the Rally pass, with all it's associated 85th anniversary extras and it cost me (after charges) £138, thats something like £50 more than last years. As for the day passes - or carpark passes - as they have become this year, I think the pricing is crazy. Last year, a £25 day pass would give you access to any stage carpark for that days stages, this year it would cost you £25 per car park, to watch a stage in the morning and then a different stage in the afternoon would cost £50 that 100% more than last year!!
Anyway, rant over.
I went to the Hafran part of the combined Hafran and Sweet Lamb stages on Friday morning. I watched the WRC cars through the stage before heading to Sweet Lamb for the National cars and the second running of the WRC cars through the complex. I left Hafran early, partly because I expected long queues to get into Sweet Lamb - this was not the case!! I was actually parked closer the start of the stage than I'd been parked in previous years when I'd turned up at something like 2 or 3am!
After the nationals had finished the stage and before the second running, Top Gear's James May took over the bottom part of the Sweet Lamb complex. He (and Kris Meeke) run a Bentley Continental GT through the complex around 3 or 4 times to get the various footage they needed - I assume for an upcoming series of Top Gear. That Bentley can shift, it pretty much emptied the water splash and managed to get 'air' over the jump. After Sweet Lamb I headed down to Cardiff to have a look at Service, and managed to get my programme signed by a couple of the drives. (thanks!)
Another trek up to mid Wales on Saturday to the Crychan stage, where again, number were very much down. I was chatting to another spectator in the 3 hour wait between stage runnings and he to commented on the lack of spectators. (nice chatting to you). As I had paid for the Rally pass I was attending to try and get to Celtic Manor, but decided not to, feeling that I'd probably just end up sitting in traffic.
Sunday saw the running of my local stage - Port Talbot, again another very quiet stage, with spectator numbers down on previous years. I must congratulate the organizers for a far better setup at the famous Margam jump. In previous years the spectator area was set a long way back from the road, and had a 'dog leg' in the barrier which quite often left you with your view blocked, this year the barrier was pegged out closer to the stage (but imho still safe) and set out in a much more sensible way, no dog leg and running for the majority of the sraight. Thank you, some common sense at last!
The speed of the cars on the straight is incredible, i've posted some video's and they look like I've sped them up, but I haven't, they really are that quick and really do jump that far! Some drivers just tapping the brakes before the jump, and really, who can blame them! From Port Talbot, another blast up the M4 to Cardiff to the final service and the podium ceremony, it was good to see a Ford 1 - 3, with Loeb been knocked into 2nd and only just beating the ever popular Petter Solberg into 3rd.
As well as my Canon 7D, I also took along my GoPro HD Hero 2 to try and capture some close up action shots. As I didn't want to get run over, I bought myself a wee pressie! the Wifi BacPac and remote (I'll do a review in the not to distant future). I tried the camera in a few locations on the stage, with various levels of success! I've posted some videos on YouTube
http://youtu.be/oMGPrBZV808
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GoPro triggered by the WiFi BacPac
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Summing up.....
Pro's
Marshalling was better this year.
Less spectators to get in your way
Parking and traveling between stages much easier.
Weather generally better (but not by much!)
Higher degree of keepers with my photos.
Con's
Some spectators stood in the most stupid of places.
Event formation quite poor - the shakedown time a case in point.
Ticket costs - stupidly high.
Less spectators - atmosphere not quite the same as previous years.
September event date not as atmospheric as November/December.
Have to question Service Park been based in Cardiff. (I can understand why, but a 2 hour drive from stage to service!)
