Sixt Cardiff were pleased to assist the organisers of the Wales Rally GB which was the final round and title deciding event of the 2011 World Rally Championship which would either see Current champion Sebastian Loeb (Citroen) win a record breaking 8th title or Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen, poised to take the championship.

Sixt at the Wales Rally

Sixt Cardiff’s Manager Richard Stock has had a involvement in Motor Sport for many years, along with Sales Manager Mark Tew, Liasing with rally organisers International Motorsport Ltd, Sixt supplied a number of support vehicles for functions such as timing, safety and various FIA vehicles in addition a fleet of minibuses were provided to shuttle the various officials and drivers from Cardiff Castle to their various hotels.

Richard also got involved with the organisers and for the period of the event drove various officials and visitors around the event in one of the official vehicles, Richard takes up the story.

Richard Stock with Mikko Hirvonen and Timo Rautiainen

“Having always had a interest and involvement in Motorsport I jumped at the opportunity to help out and get involved with the event organisers. It was fantastic to meet and drive around some real Rally Legends, and with the drive from Rally Headquarters in Cardiff to the service area in Builth Wells taking an hour and a half there was plenty of opportunity to chat with them.
On the final day of the event I had to drive various officials and dignitaries to the Finish in the fantastic grounds of Cardiff Castle where the podium and winners ramp were set up, it was great to meet all the drivers who had competed and generally enjoy the atmosphere and surroundings of Cardiff Castle and it was fantastic that as a business Sixt had been part of the success of the event”

World champion Sebastian Loeb regained his title despite crashing out of the event after a crash with a spectator who was driving on the wrong side of the road, Finlands’s Mikko Hirvonen also crashed out of the event, ending his attempt to take the World Rally championship title.

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Mikka Anttila in their Ford Fiesta WRC won the rally, 3min 42.9 seconds ahead of Norway’s Mads Ostberg. The Finn held onto his overnight lead throughout all of Sunday’s six special stages and was credited with fastest times on the eleven of the twenty-three stages. Norwegian Mads Ostberg and Swedish co-driver, Jonas Andersson moved into second place as a result of Loeb’s retirement and held this position throughout the remaining five stages. Ostberg said at the end of the final stage, “I am so happy because this is my first podium since Sweden but it feels so different. I had to improve my performance on gravel to get this result.”

sebastian loeb 2011 world champion

Fellow Norwegian, Henning Solberg, and Austrian co-driver, Ilka Minor, winner of the 2011 Michael Park Trophy, finished in third place overall in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC giving Ford a clean sweep of the podium. Wales Rally GB, one of Wales’ long standing flagship events, has been exclusively hosted in the country since 2000. Over the past decade, the rally has evolved and has this year visited a far greater proportion of Wales than ever before.

As this year’s Wales Rally GB – the final and deciding round of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship draws to a close, Business Minister, Edwina Hart has announced a funding package of £1.4 million for the 2012 event

Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/uk-wales-15711569

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Not only will we be offering exclusive discount car rental rates to all participants before and after the event in order to allow travellers to get to the starting point of the rally in safety and comfort, we will also be providing a shuttle service during the event helping the drivers get to hotels and restaurants during breaks in the action.

In addition to helping to get the participants in the race to and from wherever they need to go, we will also be transporting vehicles and spare parts throughout the event.

For more information about the discounts available visit our cheap car rental for Mille Miglia Partners page.

About the Mille Miglia

“The most beautiful race in the world” is how Enzo Ferrari has described the Mille Miglia. This classic car race takes place between the 13th and 17th of May for the 82nd time and the Mille Miglia has always had a special fascination for classic car fans for a number of reasons:

Its History

Firstly, there is the history behind the race which first began in 1927, having been established by 2 young Italian men, allegedly in response to the Italian grand prix being relocated from their home town.

The event steadily grew in terms of attendance, initially dominated by Italian competitors but over time also attracting racers from a wide range of nationalities.

The race has been banned several times due to accidental deaths. The first time the race was cancelled was in 1938 however it was resumed shortly after in 1940 and continued until 1957 when it was banned again after a serious accident killed more than 10 people.

There was a brief resurgence in between 1958 and 1961 where the race was held as a rallying event following the speed limits of the roads, however this was also short lived.

Today the Mille Miglia exists as a 1,000 mile endurance event and is commonly known as the most beautiful road race in the world.

Beauty

As much, if not more than anything else, it is the route from Brescia to Rome on Lake Garda, with its countless scenic highlights that seem to be the major attraction with the journey being like a visual who’s who of the most beautiful parts of the region.

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Exclusivity

Exclusivity is another factor in what makes the rally such a special event and also one which makes it difficult to compare to other vintage rallies. It is for good reason that the Mille Miglia has a reputation of being strictly for an elite few.

Firstly there is the entry fee which, at 5700 Euros will surely put off all but the most serious enthusiast (Although this does include food and accommodation) Above all though, it is having the right car which is the most significant barrier to taking part; The vehicle must have been built between 1927 and 1957 and during that time have participated at least once in the Mille Miglia.

There is some leniency but this is reserved for vehicles that are of exceptional value and importance such as the 1925 Bugatti Type 35A. Replicas are excluded as are vehicles that have been modified in any way.

The Mille Miglia Today

Today, just as in the past, vehicles of Italian origin play a dominant role in the Mille Miglia; From Alfa Romeos and Ferraris to Lancia, Italian manufacturers have always formed the majority of the starting pack.

Most usually decide in favour of a Lancia, Ferrari or Alfa Romeo to navigate the race however, in 1931 Rudolf Caracciola made it onto the podium in a Mercedes Benz SSKL and in 1940 Huschke Von Hanstein triumphed in a BMW 328.

The continuation of the Mille Miglia means that for yet another year, a top class starting pack of cars will be on show, the likes of which no museum in the world can compare with.

In addition to a huge range of classic cars starting with the parade, there might also be a few surprise attendees that you wouldn’t expect to see at such an event including 3 VW Beetles, 2 Peugeot 203s and a Saab 93

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