Phils guide to Wales Rally GB – Leg 3

LEG 3 – Sunday 2nd December, 2007.
SS14: Brechfa 1 (28.89kms). Start: 07.46
Brechfa is again an exact re-run of the ’06 stage There is quite an unusual surface in Brechfa as its soil based, so exceptionally slippery in the wet and very abrasive in the dry. Trees lurch into the road, so it’s a good place to break your windscreen. The start is fast and flowing with nice sweeping corners with big drifts everywhere, then after 10 Kms it starts to get very fast with long straights and difficult braking, it stays like this until the last 6 Kms where it gets quite technical and twisty with muddy corners and drainage ditches everywhere and easy to break a wheel. Viewing near the start of the stage is best, because it’s very open and you can see a long way.

SS15: Trawscoed 1 (27.97kms). Start: 08.33
This is the exact reverse of the ’06 stage going back to the same stage as 2004.
The start is quite tricky with 1 left hand corner which has claimed some famous names in previous years including Carlos Sainz! Then it goes downhill to a very tricky right hand bend over a bridge which many cars had had accidents on over the years. Then it starts to climb uphill and gradually getting faster and quite narrow, the last section is very tricky with trees right beside the road edge and combined with a mud/soil base this becomes one of the trickiest sections of the whole event and a real sting in the tail if anyone decides to push too hard here!

SS16: Brechfa 2 (28.89kms). Start: 12.09
The roads in Brechfa are so smooth they hardly rut at all. In fact, the more cars that drive through it the more the surface polishes off, so it’s even more slippery the second time through.

SS17: Trawscoed 1 (27.97kms). Start: 12.56
Like Brechfa, the second time through it’s a lot more slippy, regardless of whether it’s wet or dry. You can easily get caught out in places which were fine only hours before. It’s a very difficult stage to finish a tough rally on and they’ll be some swapping of places in here for sure.

Finish: City Hall, Cardiff. Start: 15.00
It’s a long drive back to Cardiff for the finish ceremony, but when you’ve got the iconic Millennium Stadium on your doorstep, there is only one place to end the event in style. Come into the Stadium for free and watch the closing ceremony.