The Wales Rally GB Show, Felindre (near Swansea)

The Wales Rally GB Show is normally the traditional start of the festivities that we all know and love as the Wales Rally GB, the 14th and final round of the 2003 World Rally Championship. In 2003, the format of the show is undecided at the moment, so the following is based on the 2002 event.

The 2002 show was slightly different than in previous years because the show did not actually start until Friday morning, whereas SS1 - Cardiff Superspecial 1 had already been completed, and the Leg 1 stages were underway.

The show itself changed location for 2002, and is now based at the Felindre Service Park, near Swansea.

Unfortunately, to be honest, the rally show did not live up to most people's expectations in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and most left with the feeling that a lot could be done to improve it. For those of us who have been to previous rally shows in Chester and Cheltenham, the first three Cardiff shows were a bit of a let-down. The actual service area itself has improved beyond all recognition, and this now seems to be more popular than actually having a live action arena.

Despite it's shortcomings last year, if you intend to do the whole rally the show is a definite must, if you intend to visit the service park anyway. You can expect to see your favourite rally stars, as well as plenty of trade stalls to either buy merchandise or collect freebies.

How to get there?

The Rally Show, based at the Felindre Service Park, is based in the vast Welsh Development Agency site situated off Junction 46 of the M4.

Travelling either from the South or North, take Junction 46 off the M4, and approach the roundabout. Turn left here, and head down the hill. When you arrive at the next roundabout, turn left again and follow the signs to the service park.

You cannot possibly get lost going towards Felindre. It will be very busy throughout the rally, not only for the rally show but for the service area also. If you are in any doubts, just follow the traffic.

Hints and Tips

The Ford Show Stand in 2001

You can get this close to the drivers !

Nicky Grist and Colin McRae signing autographs

Traffic will be very busy. Remember that you are in a very busy part of the rally, and the flow of traffic will be quite constant from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon, obviously with peaks around the service times.

Entrance to the show was NOT free in 2002 - unless you are an advance ticket holder. A day ticket in 2002 cost you £10, and this allowed you access to the whole Felindre area including Service and the Rally Show. Take some extra money though, as you are bound to want to have something to eat and drink, as well as purchase some rallying merchandise.

Make sure you find out when the big stars are going to appear on the stage at the new ISC Broadcasting Unit - you won't want to miss them. Arrive at the stage at least 15 minutes before they are due to appear, to get a decent spot. The pictures on the left were from the Rally Show in 2001 at Cardiff but the new location promises to give you the same chances to see your heroes.

Make sure you get as many freebies as you can, but also remember that if you are following the rally around until Sunday, you will have to store all your posters somewhere !

There will be plenty of parking at Felindre, and the whole area was re-surfaced in 2002 to make the whole area more "spectator friendly".

Do not park outside the Service Area, as the police will be in abundance. It is a residential area, so please do not upset the locals.

There will be a whole range of facilities available at the Rally Show. There will be a large amount of the usual catering vans as well as smaller food outlets selling food and drink that you would generally find at funfairs.

Prices will be more or less standard that you would expect at any of the special stages, and as there are plenty of options, you will not have to queue for very long.

Toilets in 2000 at Felindre were a bit of a problem, as they were difficult to find, and there were not enough to deal with the flow of visitors. 2001 and 2002 were much improved, but bear in mind the longer the rally goes on, and the more people that visit the toilets, the less appealing they become.

The surrounding area of Felindre is not as well served as Cardiff, but you will find ample places to get petrol and eat in Swansea or (to a lesser extent) Port Talbot.

If your stay at Felindre is a short one, bearing in mind most spectators will want to be at the forest stages rather than watching interviews for most of the time, you are well advised to get petrol and stock up on food near the stages either before or after the Rally Show.

All in all, the rally show is not the place to see high-octane rally action. It is okay if you want to see the top drivers up close, and if you want to see the smaller teams and privateers you can always access the service area.

Therefore the best spots for spectators wanting to see the top drivers will probably be the ISC Broadcasting Unit in 2003, which will host interviews with the leading WRC drivers during the 45 minute end-of-day services.

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