Background Data:
The Network Q Rally of Great Britain is the Uk's biggest annual sporting event with one million spectators, a television audience of 358 million in 182 countries (more than any other rally) and over 6,000 volunteer officials.
The 2000 event was the 56th since the event was first held in 1932 and the the 14th and final round of the 2000 F.I.A. World Rally Championship.
For the first time the rally was based in Cardiff, the Welsh capital. The rally headquarters enjoyed exclusive use of Cardiff City Hall, while the surrounding Cathay's Park hosted the overnight 'parc-fermes' where the competing cars parked during each overnight halt whilst the drivers, co-drivers and support crews rested before the following day's stages. The 2000 entry list included the world's top rally stars with two British crews in the fight for the championship.
The rally uniquely allows amateurs to compete on level terms with the professionals. The rally covered 938 miles in four days, the competitive part of the rally covered 237 miles on 17 timed special stages, most of which were on forestry commission roads timed to an accuracy of 1/10 of a second.
Within the complex rules and regulations of the F.I.A. only cars which are homologated are allowed to compete in W.R.C. rallies and when a car is out of production that car can only compete for a further five years. This being the case, the 2000 event was the last time that the legendary Lancia Delta Integrale was allowed in a round of the W.R.C. , as this model ran out of homologation at the end of 2000, and the Network Q was the final round of the championship.
Walkers Garage are factory appointed Integrale specialists for the UK and entered two Group A, Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evolutions into the rally.
Both ex-works cars built in Italy and brought to the UK by the proprietor of Walkers Garage and driver of one of the cars, Steve Smith. The cars were built by Lancia Abarth for Juha Kankunan and Carlos Sainz respectively, then run in Italy by Jolly Club, the official factory agent for rallies.
Steve has competed in rallies for many years and as well as being at the front of the National rally scene, Steve successfully competed on the Rally of GB three times before, finishing every time and has previously won the prize for top amateur driver ( in 1990 ) and finished in 20th place overall. In 2000 Steve was co-driven by John Richardson who as well as being a co-driver is employed at Steve's performance parts center.
The other car which Steve used to own was sold to Lancia enthusiast, Rodney Bennet from Andover, who with his co-driver Rob Langley also competed on the rally before.
The 2000 rally took place from 22nd to 26th November, starting and finishing in Cardiff, with two of the special stages being run at night in a super-sprint type format in a new purpose built venue.
Address Walkers Garage Limited
Lancia Delta Specialists
South Otterington
Northallerton
North Yorkshire DL7 9HT Telephone
01609 777221
Email
Location Details
Our Locationmap
Here at Walkers we are ideally placed for transport links, within four miles of
the East Coast Main Line (2 ½ hours from Kings cross Station).
We are also less than 10 miles from the A1M Motorway North and South bound.
Following their success on the 2000 Network Q Rally of Great Britain the two Ex-Works World Rally Championship winning Deltas contested the 2001 Loctite RallySprint Championship get all the details from the menu above left.
