Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (27 - 30 October) will feature competitive action in England for the first time since 1999.

The rally, which moves forward in the WRC calendar to become the penultimate round of the season, will include a short spectator-friendly parkland special stage at Cholmondeley Castle to close Saturday’s leg.

It is the biggest change to a familiar route, which is the longest since the event moved from south Wales to the north in 2013. The 22 tests cover 336km, mostly in the forests of north and mid-Wales.

Deeside again hosts the single service park, but there is no mid-leg service on any of the three days and mistakes could be heavily punished.

After Thursday night’s start in Colwyn Bay, competitors journey to mid-Wales on Friday for a marathon leg containing 180.00km of action in eight stages, more than half the event’s total.

The tests are classics but with a twist – they will be driven in the opposite direction to normal. Hafren and Sweet Lamb have not been used in this format since 1995 while Myherin has never been tackled this way. Dyfnant completes the quartet of stages, each of which will be driven in the morning and afternoon.

The second leg starts with a double loop of three stages. Pantperthog has not featured in the rally since 1997, but Dyfi and Gartheiniog are well-known to competitors. It ends with the tricky Aberhirnant test, before the short trip into England at Cholmondeley Castle.

Sunday’s finale follows familiar territory in north Wales. Two loops of three stages complete the action, with the picturesque Brenig again forming the final live TV Power Stage. The finish will be in Llandudno, but the town’s famous Great Orme asphalt test will not be used.

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