Autosportfoto

Route revamp for Lotos 73rd Rally Poland

The route of this year's Lotos 73rd Rally Poland, the seventh round of the championship, has undergone a transformation, with 33 per cent of stages changed since 2015.

The event will be based in the familiar setting of Mikołajki in the Mazurian Lakes district and will feature 22 gravel stages that total 317 competitive kilometres. Organisers say they have made changes to last years route to make it more attractive for competitors and fans and also to take into consideration safety issues.

Four stages remain the same as last year (Mikołajki Arena, Gołdap, Świętajno, Wieliczki), while two (Chmielewo and Stare Juchy) have featured in previous years. Other tests have been modified and 33% of the route was not run in 2014 or 2015. The shortest is the 2.5 km of Mikołajki Arena and the longest will be Stańczyki at 26.90 km.

"We made some valuable modifications after considering last year's reports, teams', drivers' and media representatives' suggestions. We also tried to listen to the fans, whom we'd like to secure the best conditions to follow their favourite rally. Safety issues were also very important factors while complementing changes," said Clerk of the Course Jarosław Noworól.

The ceremonial start is scheduled for Thursday, 30 June in the centre of Mikołajki. That evening the competitive action will start with the head-to-head super special at the Mikołajki Arena.

On Friday, 1 July drivers will face nine stages, with a total length of 111.24 kilometres. After the first four stages, cars will return to the service park for 30 minutes. Then, in the afternoon, they will tackle the same tests for a second time before a return to the stage at the Mikołajki Arena.

The next eight stages, totalling 143 kilometres, will be held on Saturday. Three will be driven twice without a midpoint service before drivers tackle the Mikołajki Arena stage for a third time at the end of the day.

Four final stages will be held on Sunday, including the Live TV Power Stage (SS 22 Sady 2) before the finish ceremony back in Mikołajki from 1400hrs.

Zdroj: wrc.com