5 reasons you should go to Wales Rally GB

Access

Where else in the world could you get this close to some of the most important cars and drivers in motorsport (other than the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard of course)? Well spend a little time wandering your way into the beautiful forests of Wales and you'll find yourself as close as you can get to these incredible machines. The views on a rally stage cannot be beaten in any other form of top-level modern motorsport.

Iconic stages

Hafren, Sweet Lamb, Gartheniog, Myherin – these are names dripping in history. The forests still echo to the sounds of McRae and Burns, the smell of Kankunnen and Sainz and the memories of Röhrl and Mikkola. There aren't any settings quite like the British Rally scene. Deep into the Welsh mountains where only dragons lie you'll find the incredible high-speed stages of Wales Rally GB. Traditionally battling ice, fog and rain, these days an earlier date in the calendar sees more favourable conditions for spectators, but the damp still hangs in the forests, keeping the stages as tricky as they ever were.

Support

It isn't just the WRC that tackles these Welsh stages every year – they are ably supported by the National Rally, an event made up of modern and historic rally cars. Inside you will see absolutely every form of rally car, from few year old WRC specials to a fleet of incredible-sounding Escorts via iconic squeeking Imprezas and Evos of the '90s. It's a brilliant step back in time, and these guys push their steeds as hard as anyone in the WRC.

Views

In the 21^st century we're all photographers. Whether you drag you DSLR and fleet of lenses into the forests or just rock up with your phone you're probably not going to come back with anything less than the best shots you've ever taken. The forest may conceal it as you head in, but the mountains of Wales provide incredible backdrops to the action, and Wales Rally GB takes them all in. From tarmac stages around the iconic Great Orme and through the sleepy coastal resort of Llandudno, to lakeside beauty at Brenig or deep, deep into the forests, the view will take your breath away.

The Championship

OK, so Wales Rally GB doesn't crown the champion as the final round of the season any more (that honour goes to Australia, and this year even Catalunya has moved ahead of GB) but this year's title battle is the best one for over a decade. For the first time since 2003 a man not called Sebastien might win the WRC, with Thierry Neuville currently leading the way ahead of five-time champ Sébastien Ogier, but not by much more than a rally win. Given the punishing nature of GB there's every chance that 2018's event could be pivotal to the season's result. Just like it was last year, when Ogier clinched his fifth title, and first for M-Sport, with one rally to go.

Photography by Ben Miles.