The World Rally Championship will return to Catalonia this November, when the Spanish stage of the series sees teams competing in the province of Tarragona on the Costa Daurada.

(TRAVPR.COM) UK/SPAIN - October 19th, 2012 - The Spanish round of the World Rally Championship will kick off on 8th November, breaking with the traditional October start date for the event. Some traditions have not changed at all, however, as the Spanish event will preserve a format that includes mixed surfaces, with drivers racing against one another on both gravel and asphalt roads.

The start of the event will be in Salou and one stage of the rally will see cars racing through the town centre. In all, the event will feature slightly more than 250 miles of competition, almost exactly the same distance as was included in the previous year’s event.

Some details of the route have been tweaked; for example, the Terra Alta test is now five miles longer than before, which means it is now the longest single stretch of mixed-surface driving on the rally, totalling some 27 miles. Days two and three of the RACC Rally Catalonia, in contrast, will take place entirely on roads composed of asphalt.

The World Rally Championship involves 13 events held around the world, each of which lasts three days. This year the Spanish event will be the final round, a benefit of the date change from October to November.

For the past eight years, the World Rally champion has been Sebastian Loeb of France and in six of those years he was driving a Citroen. It remains to be seen if Loeb and Citroen can continue their long winning streaks this year along the Costa Daurada.

For a detailed itinerary of the RACC Rally Catalonia, which is to be based in the Port Aventura theme park, visit http://www.rallyracc.com/2012/ingles/itinerario.html.

Sitges Hills Villas offer a collection of holiday accommodation situated around 1 hour from the event for anyone looking to attend the RACC Rally Catalonia. Visit their website at www.SitgesHillsVillas.com.

###