24-27 January Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo is the oldest event in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar and the longest running event in all rally sport. In 2008 it celebrated its 76th anniversary.
The event is famous for its narrow asphalt roads and a tricky mix of weather and road conditions. Cold temperatures in the mountains mean patches of ice and snow are never far away and with tyre choices made sometimes hours before stages are run, drivers who can tackle dry asphalt and ice on the same rubber have the upper hand. Experience counts here, and drivers with a good understanding of the specialist conditions can be a serious threat to the established WRC stars. |
08-10 February Uddeholm Swedish Rally
In 2007, the Uddeholm Swedish Rally was paired with Rally Norway to provide a double dose of snow action, but in 2008 it was back as the only true winter rally in the WRC. Based from the city of Karlstad in central Sweden, the rally takes place on wintry gravel roads in the forests of the Varmland region and includes remote services in the towns of Sunne and Hagfors. Temperatures can drop well below -25 degrees Celsius and if there is a wind the weather can be treacherous. But the special challenge of the frozen roads means the event is one of the most popular among drivers. |
29 February-02 March Corona Rally Mexico
Mexico made an eagerly-awaited debut on the World Rally Championship schedule in 2004 and has quickly proved to be a popular addition to the calendar, with a compact series of well-organised, high-speed gravel stages through the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains and plains around the cities of Guanajuato and Leon. The FIA’s new event rotation system was going to cause the event to be missed this year but it unexpectedly re-entered the series because organisers wished to be in the world calendar again in 2010, the country’s foundation anniversary year. |
28-30 March Rally of Argentina
The trip to Argentina may be long for European fans, but, when you combine a land of spectacular scenery with a nation of people always up for a party, you have the ideal location for a World Rally Championship event. It's always a highlight of the season. |
25-27 April Jordan Rally
And now for something completely new. No world championship rally has been held in the Middle East before, even though the region has run an active championship for 24 years, in which Jordan has always been a front runner. Jordan is also the first Arab nation to be invited in to the World rally series. There is no doubt that the country has a lot to offer every visitor but the Dead Sea is the most impressive of all. Anyone two years ago who witnessed the visiting four-times World Champion Tommi Makinen floating on the water of the Dead Sea and reading a copy of the rally programme will agree that this is no ordinary place. |
18-20 May Rallye d'Italia - Sardinia
The Italian round takes place in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia with stages made up of fine and sandy gravel. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the Parc Ferme will take place in the luxury resort of Porto Cervo while the operative offices will be in Olbia. A special feature this year will be the short final stage at the picturesque Cala di Volpe, better known as James Bond’s favourite resort. |
30 May-1 June Acropolis Rally
The mix of rough, twisty mountain stages, blistering heat and choking dust makes the BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece the toughest on the calendar. Cars have to be built extra-sturdy to cope with the surprisingly fast, but rock-strewn stages, while drivers and co-drivers have to be at peak physical fitness to cope with the pounding terrain and temperatures in the cockpit that top 50 degrees C. |
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13-15 June Rally of Turkey
Welcome back to the championship for the Rally of Turkey, which under the FIA’s new event rotation rules was not run in 2007. This rally is run in an amazing region around the Mediterranean coastal resort of Antalya and is a climatic wonderland. The weather and the temperatures at the sea level headquarters can be completely different to those in the nearby mountains, and both can change at remarkable speed. |
01-03 August Neste Rally Finland
Formerly known as the 1000 Lakes, Neste Rally Finland is one of the most popular events on the calendar. It's a fast gravel affair, with high-speed runs along tree-lined tracks, peppered with fast, flying ‘yumps’ that demand absolute, balls-out commitment. No wonder it's a firm favourite for teams, drivers, media and fans alike. And this time Finland has also been chosen as the one event to hold both Junior and Production Car competition |
15-17 August ADAC Rallye Deutschland
The second asphalt rally of the season is held in the wine-producing Mosel region, near to the historic city of Trier. This may be a pure asphalt event, but it has one of the widest variety of sealed surfaces on the calendar. As such, it's a tricky event that demands the very best from drivers |
29-31 August Rally of New Zealand
New Zealand is a highlight of the season. The landscape is beautiful and the action on the fast, flowing gravel stages tends to be open and unpredictable. The challenging terrain really rewards the drivers with the very best car control. If you can win here you are seen to have very special driving talent! |
03-05 October Rally Espania
There has been significant change for Spain's round of the World Rally Championship in recent years. First the move from the Costa Brava to the Costa Daurada on the other side of Barcelona in 2005, and then a calendar move back to autumn in 2007. The event's nature hasn't changed much, however, with the wide, sweeping asphalt roads providing the fastest sealed-surface stages of the season. |
10-12 October Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
Once again coming the weekend after Spain, Corsica is the only back-to-back rally fixture of this season and the last for the foreseable future in world championship rallying. Cornering technique comes into its own on the island of Corsica. The event is not nicknamed the rally of 10,000 corners for nothing. Although faster and wider than in previous years, the route still winds its way up into the mountains above Ajaccio, providing a stern test for driver and tyre alike. |
31 October- 02November Rally Japan
After a highly-successful debut in 2004, Rally Japan has quickly become a popular fixture on the calendar. For 2008 the event is being moved from the fast and flowing gravel stages of the Tokachi region in Hokkaido to the region close to Sapporo, Hokkaido’s main city on the west of the island. The new rally is expected to feature a similar character to that of New Zealand, the stages forging their way through the narrow gaps between the trees in the forests. Hokkaido is the northernmost island of the Japanese chain, and is much more lightly populated than the mainland. The weather in Sapporo is expected to be milder than in the Tokachi region, which statistically is the coldest area in the country. |
05-07 December Wales Rally GB
Once again Wales Rally GB is the WRC season closer, with a wet, windy and wild end of November date. The promise of rain, mud, fog and even the possibility of snow and ice are all thrown into the mix. The forest stages of south Wales, near to host city Cardiff, are fast and flowing and, when wet, can become as slippery as any in the world. |
2009 Provisional FIA World Rally Championship calendar
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