2004 Wales Rally GB

2004 Wales Rally GB 60th Wales Rally of Great Britain
Round 12 of the 2004 World Rally Championship ← Previous event Next event →
Host country	United Kingdom
Rally base	Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Dates run	16 September 2004 – 19 September 2004
Stages	19
Stage surface	Gravel
Overall distance	1,298.12 km (806.61 mi)
Results
Overall winner	Petter Solberg (driver) Phil Mills (co-driver) Subaru World Rally Team

The 2004 Wales Rally GB (formally the 60th Wales Rally of Great Britain) was a rallying autosports race held over our days between 16 to 19 September 2004 and operated out of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It was the twelfth round of the 2004 World Rally Championship (WRC) and the 60th running of the event. Contested over 19 stages, the rally was won by Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg. Sébastien Loeb finished second for the Citroën World Rally Team and Ford driver Markko Martin came in third.^[1]

Background

The 2004 Wales Rally GB was the twelfth round of the 2004 World Rally Championship after taking a two-week break since the previous race of the season in Japan.^[2] It was held over four days from Thursday, 16 September to Sunday, 19 September 2004.^[3] Before the race, Sébastien Loeb led the Drivers' Championship with 84 points, ahead of Petter Solberg in second and Markko Martin third. Carlos Sainz was fourth on 51 points, and Marcus Gronholm was four points adrift in fifth.^[4] Citroen were leading the Manufacturers' Championship with 137 points; Ford stood in second on 102 points, 33 in front of Subaru. Peugeot were fourth on 68 points.^[4]

With pressure from the South Wales Police who initiated a campaign against speeding, the rally was under threat from cancellation as several drivers had been caught exceeding the speed limit in the 2002 event, and the sports governing body the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced it would investigate whether the roads were suitable for the large amount of rally traffic.^[5] On 12 December 2003 Wales Rally GB was granted a provisional place on the 2004 WRC calendar which was pending a formal road review by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) after the FIA chose not to downgrade the event which would have made the event illegible to count for championship points.^[6] Five towns in England were mooted as alternative bases in the event Wales was deemed unusitable.^[7]

87 crews registered to compete in the rally.^[8] The starting order for Leg 1 was "Priority 1" (P1) and P2 WRC drivers in the order of the current classification following the previous race of the 2004 season, followed by all other drivers as decided by the MSA. Solberg, the previous season's champion, set off first, followed by Loeb, then Sainz.^[9]

Statstics

Entry list

List of entrants
Car No	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Entrant	Group / Class	Priority
1	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	Subaru Impreza WRC 2004	555 Subaru World Rally Team	A8	1
2	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën Xsara WRC	Citroen Total World Rally Team	A8	1
3	Markko Martin	Michael Park	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	Ford Motor Company Team	A8	1
4	Carlos Sainz	Marc Martí	Citroën Xsara WRC	Citroen Total World Rally Team	A8	1
5	François Duval	Sven Smeets	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	Ford Motor Company Team	A8	1
Source:[8]

Championship standings after the race

World Rally Championship for Drivers standings Position Driver Points 1 Sébastien Loeb 92 2 Petter Solberg 64 3 Markko Martin 59 4 Carlos Sainz 55 5 Marcus Grönholm 47 Source:[4]

World Rally Championship for Manufacturers standings Position Manufacturer Points 1 Citroën Total World Rally Team 150 2 Ford Motor Company Team 112 3 555 Subaru World Rally Team 91 4 Marlboro Peugeot Total 76 Source:[4]

References

1. "Rallies – Great Britain 2004". Jonnka's World Rally Archive. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
2. "World Rally calendar 2004". BBC Sport. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
3. "Rally of Great Britain: Round 12 preview". motorsport.com. 16 September 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
4. "FIA World Rally Championship Championship Classifications". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
5. Gordon, Ian (12 November 2003). "Speeding fines put GB event in doubt". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
6. "Rally GB faces safety inquiry". BBC Sport. 12 December 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
7. "Five alternative venues in line for Rally GB". Autosport. 27 January 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
8. "Wales Rally GB Entry List". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
9. "2004 FIA World Rally Championship - Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2016.