After a six-week break, the FIA World Rally Championship heads back to action from 5th to 8th October in Spain. With three rallies to go, Sébastien Ogier is still leading the overall standings with 17 points ahead of Thierry Neuville, who aims a first title this year.
1: After three rallies contested under the red banner of the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Team, The Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen, third of the last World Rally Championship, will participate in his first WRC event driving the Hyundai i20 WRC. The 28 year-old driver, who will finish the season with the South-Corean Team, reached the second place in Germany right before the six-week break and has already won the Catalonian event in 2015, making him one of the most serious contender of this season’s 11th round.
2: As the number of surfaces making up the Catalonian event’s layout. Only rally of the calendar organized simultaneously on tarmac and gravel, the Rally RACC Catalunya is a very special meeting. The challenge will be huge for the mechanics and engineers that will have to convert the cars from gravel to asphalt specification and for the crews that will have to adapt to the surface changing as well. Last year, Sébastien Ogier made the difference by winning ahead of Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville.
3: As the number of points needed by the local rising star Nil Solans to seal the Junior WRC title. Last round of the Junior World Rally Championship, the Rally RACC Catalunya welcomes the youngsters for their very last confrontation. If Nil Solans, 25 years old, is logically considered as the big favorite for the title with 23 points ahead of his runner-up, Nicolas Ciamin, the fight for the third step on the podium is likely to be tough with three men in 11 points!
16: As the number of French victories on Iberian roads since 1998. In 19 Rallies of Spain, 16 has been won by a French driver. If Didier Auriol and Gilles Panizzi had won the Spanish event two times both in the beginning of 2000’s, Sébastien Loeb won it 8 consecutive times and Sébastien Ogier seized the first place three times throughout the last three editions.
75: In minutes, the time of service provided to each teams on Friday evening after the first Leg. This time is extended by 30 minutes compared to other WRC rallies in order to handle the cars transformation due to the surface changing between the two days.