Organisers gearing up for Cyprus Rally

Τhis year’s Cyprus Rally, Round 6 of the 2007 FIA Middle East Rally Championship will be held from 12-14 October.
The Cyprus Rally organisers have decided to carry out a major overhaul of the whole event on the island, while it is expected to be observed by the FIA with a view to a return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar in 2008-2009.
During the overhaul, new stages, headquarters and a Service Park are planned.
According to a statement, several new stages are being introduced for this year’s event, while those classic Cyprus Rally stages that are being reused are in great shape thanks to last year’s maintenance.
A number of the stages will be used just once over the course of the rally. Following requests from the teams, 2007 will also see the return of the popular ‘Seafront Service Park’ on Limassol promenade.
A new Rally Headquarters is also being set up. It should be stressed that the revamped Cyprus Rally has actually been crafted as a 3-day event, ready for its return to the WRC, but for 2007 an abbreviated event will be run in line with the 2-day nature of MERC rallies.
Cyprus Rally Press Officer Chris Christodoulou said statistics prove that the Cyprus Rally is a favourite with fans all over the world. “In 2006, we were second behind Greece for the number of WRC broadcasts, with a cumulative audience of over 54 million people and a total of 327 hours of coverage – placing the Cyprus Rally on the 3rd place amongst the 16 rounds in the 2006 calendar! With the changes in place for this year’s event, I’m sure the 2007 Cyprus Rally will be an exciting and unforgettable experience for all,” he added.
Cyprus is hosting two rounds of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship in 2007. The Troodos Rally, round 3 of this year’s MERC, was held in Cyprus earlier this year and ended with a clear victory for Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah – the defending FIA Middle East and PWRC Champion – and co-driver Chris Patterson.
Alongside the 2007 Cyprus Rally the Historic Cyprus Rally will run– a round of the 2007 FIA Historic Rally Championship. Fans will have a chance to see legendary cars from the history of rallying competing once again. Event organizers are offering special packages, including an entry fee which includes free transportation for every entrant’s historic rally car and support vehicle from Greece to Cyprus.
Entrants for the 2007 Cyprus Rally and the Historic Cyprus Rally are expected from as far as Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Greece, the UK, Lebanon, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and of course Cyprus – all battling for victory in the October sunshine.
The Cyprus Rally is organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association (CAA) and sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.