The 2022 WRC season is starting to run out, but he still has to experience the great party of the Rally RACC de Catalunya. With the constructors’ title at stake, the Spanish event counts for both the World Cup and the European Championship.
The asphalt is back, the RACC Rally is back. The World Rally Championship arrives in Spain for the dispute of the 57th edition of the event, special for being scored for both the World Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship. Kalle Rovanperä debuts as World Champion, but he has to grit his teeth to help Toyota resolve the constructors’ title in their favour. Dani Sordo, great local hope.
The RACC Rally of Catalunya dates back to 1957, although for part of the 1960s it was not played. After this stage, the test gained international importance until in 1981 it became part of the ERC calendar. A decade later, he made his WRC debut. The driver with the most victories in the RACC Rally is Sébastien Loeb, with nine wins.
The RACC Rally is also scoring for the European Rally Championship (ERC), although its format is limited to Friday and Saturday
The RACC Rally is unique for its flowing roads that require precise driving, typical of a circuit. With PortAventura as the epicenter as in previous years and after Thursday’s shakedown, Friday’s stage of the rally takes place north of Salou. Two new sections open the day to make way for ‘Les Garrigues Altes’ and ‘Riba-Roja’, which are run in the opposite direction to 2021. In the afternoon these same sections are repeated to add 118.92 kilometers against the clock.
Saturday is the most familiar day, since it is practically identical to last year’s, with some adjustments in ‘Querol-Les Pobles’ and in ‘El Montmell’ -the longest section of the rally-. The loop of three stages in the morning is repeated in the afternoon with the addition of the Salou urban stage. In total, 118.75 timed kilometers will be contested before a final day with 56.10 kilometers divided into four sections. With 19 specials and 293.77 competitive kilometersthe RACC Rally is quite a challenge.
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Critical points
With rain forecast on Friday morning, some of the usual cues from the RACC Rally dissipate a bit. Nevertheless, the dirt that is raised by the cut of the gutters is a factor to take into account, as it is the choice of tires. Pirelli offers 28 P Zero RA WRC HA (hard), 22 P Zero RA WRC SA (soft) and 12 Cinturato RWB (rain) of which each crew can use up to 28 tyres.
Kalle Rovanperä debuts as World Champion in the RACC Rally in his Toyota and leads the brand’s offensive to resolve the constructors’ title in his favour. Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier accompany the Finn, while Takamoto Katsuta competes in the brand’s B team. Opposite will be Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordotrying to lengthen the resolution of the title in favor of the interests of Hyundai.
Supporting actors, WRC2 and the European
M-Sport returns to its five-car bet which has been cut short in recent rallies due to logistics and Fourmaux’s mishaps. Thus appear the three full-time drivers of the brand with the first three Ford Puma Rally1. Beside Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux they will also be Pierre-Louis Loubet and Jourdan Serderidisalthough the latter does not run integrated into the entire team.
More than thirty ‘Rally2’ come together in the WRC2 categorydespite Nil Solans being dropped at the last minute by accident. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Emil Lindholm play for the title, but Teemu Suninen, Nikolay Gryazin or Yohan Rossel can be actors in their resolution. In a Spanish key, we must follow in the footsteps of Pepe López, Jan Solans and Alejandro Cachón in an appointment in which the European riders (ERC) will compete in the first two stages.
Stages and schedules of the 57th edition of the Rally RACC de Catalunya
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Friday, October 21, 2022
Saturday October 22, 2022
Sunday October 23, 2022
* The entire rally can be followed through the ‘All WRC+ Live’ payment platform.
Photos: Rally RACC