Rally Norway adds spectacular winter exploits to WRC

Norway’s WRC round, 16-18 February 2007, will contain numerous spectacular Special Stages (SS). From the start/finish in Hamar, the special stages will run northeast of Oslo, the capital of Norway, from the mountainous region of Lillehammer in the north to the forests of Kongsvinger in the south. Rally Norway 2006 may well be the first time the international car industry will meet such picturesque special stages run on ice — in the mountains and alongside frozen rivers. During Friday, Saturday and Sunday, drivers will cover 343.76 kilometres in 18 Special Stages. A unique indoor Service Park in the Viking ship stadium, Vikingskipet, will add to the experience by giving spectators easy access to their rally idols.

Clerk of the Course. Stig Rune Kjernsli from Kongsvinger is confident that rally audiences have never seen special stages like Rally Norway’s, whether they follow the race by walking into the forest or are among the millions of TV viewers watching each WRC round. Eight municipalities in the Innlandet region of Norway are involved in bringing this spectacular experience to the rally public.

Unique: Mountains and the viking ship

Norway challenges the drivers with winter roads through forests and mountain areas that are somewhat narrower than those in Sweden. The Vikingskipet will serve as an indoor service park as it did during the candidate event; the major difference now is that it will be filled by world elite drivers.

- As a service park, The Vikingskipet is unique for the WRC drivers and spectators, says Kjernsli. The spectators will be brought close to the stars and can monitor the service from stall seats.

- In addition, Rally Norway will be the only WRC round with Special Stages on ice and snow in the mountains, explains Kjernsli.

High expectations

Thousands of spectators are expected to join the WRC round in the Norwegian region referred to as Innlandet, the non coastal areas in Southern Norway close to the Swedish border northeast of Oslo. Their needs for transportation, catering, accommodation and other services open huge opportunities for many businesses.

The WRC arena stretches from exciting spectator stages and start/finish in Hamar, at Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake, south to Kongsvinger and north to Lillehammer, a previous host city of the winter Olympics. Now it is a full WRC round, the Norwegian event has more special stages than the candidate event as it last for three days rather than two. In total the drivers will be challenged at 18 special stages, some of which will be used several times. Each one offers numerous interesting and exciting passages for drivers and spectators.

Forests and mountains

The special stage Mountain (SS11 and SS15), in the treeless mountain area southeast of Lillehammer, is being driven both Saturday and Sunday. It offers a new experience and adds a completely new dimension to WRC, says Kjernsli.

Television broadcasts from this area will be great marketing and are certain to bring more tourists to this part of Norway, particularly in the winter season. The special stages at Hamar, Kongsvinger and Kirkenær again are very attractive for the spectators. One of them is going to use the embankment along the river Glåma as a spectator grandstand, giving them the opportunity to follow the cars throughout the entire special stage.

- Keeping various arena ideas in mind, the whole package of special stages has been devised to give the visitors an unforgettable rally memory. It is even better organised and better prepared than the candidate event, states Kjernsli.

Exotic

- Special stages on snow and ice are exotic in WRC. They will demonstrate the difference between us and other rounds, especially when the television pictures are broadcast around the world. We have developed something here in Norway that will interest a broad rally audience; those who want to see the cars in and around the cities and those who want to experience the rally deep in the snow-filled forests, adds Stig Rune Kjernsli, Clerk of the Course.

Stig Rune Kjernsli has fulfilled various functions during the bid process and at Rally Norway’s candidate event in February 2006 where he was Assistant Clerk of the Course. He has many years of international experience from KNA Rally Finnskog Norway and as a co-driver for 18 years.

For further information please contact us
You can find pictures of Stig Rune Kjernsli, Clerk of the Course, and Norwegian winter rally action at http://www.rallynorway.no/no/media/foto/

Managing Director Even Wiger, ph +47 91 31 36 45,
Press Officer Vidar Julien, ph +47 95 93 31 93,