Cyprus Rally 2017: It’s show-time
Exhaust notes and dust-clouds have been the order of the day for the Cyprus Rally 2017 since Tuesday when the teams arrived on the island to perform their practice runs and tests with the crews performing the reconnaissance runs today and yesterday.
The procedures before the Starting Ceremony will begin in the morning tomorrow with testing and, of course, the so called Qualifying Stage that will determine the starting places of the top drivers.
The Stage is 4.85 kilometers long and is situated just outside of Nicosia.
Later on the drivers will return to Cyprus Rally HQ for the Number Selection process, as the fastest driver gets to pick his starting position with the rest following.
On the afternoon of the same day, all cars and crews will head to the beachfront in Larnaca (Foinikoudes) for the Starting Ceremony which starts at 19:00. Once the cars leave the Starting Ramp, they will return to the Service Park in the capital. The difference between last year and this year is that there will be no rallying action on Friday. All the excitement will begin on Saturday, the 17th of June. Cars and crews will face a total of 724 km with the fourteen special stages having a total length of 219.74.
The menu on Saturday will include eight Special Stages (four stage which will be repeated in the afternoon loop) with a total length of 117.10 kilometers.
Part of the action on Saturday will be the spectacular CNP ASFALISTIKI Super Special Stage which will run for a fourth consecutive time in the heart of Nicosia.
After the second running of the SSS, the cars will head back to the Service Park, behind the Cyprus Police Headquarters, to spend the night. Sunday will include six stages in total, with the last two being the famous Golden Stage.
The driver who has the total fastest time through these two stages have a sweet cash prize to look forward to, with everyone being eligible to compete on level terms with all the other cars on these stages.
The Finish this year has moved to the beautiful Ayia Napa Harbour, which is currently brimming with summer vibes.
The Finish Ceremony of the 46th Cyprus Rally will commence at 18:00. The switching of the calendar slot, from October to June was a success from the get-go, with many great names racing to get a spot on the starting list.
On Thursday evening, members of the media and photographers gathered in the Cyprus Rally Press Office for special conference. The European Rally Championship Press Officer Richard Rogers briefed all the attendees on matters of safety in the special stages. Also present in this briefing was WRC legend and FIA representative, Michele Mouton who will be the acting Safety Director of the rally. The briefing is part of a strategy that informs all photographers and members of the media as to where to stand and many DO’s and DON’Ts for the weekend. A video regarding this matter was shown to all who attended, who then had the chance to ask questions. After the briefing concluded, Ms Mouton gave interviews to the local media, but was also swarmed by all those who attended for a picture, an autograph and a handshake with this living legend.