Preparations are well in hand for the 2008 Pirelli International Rally which will again be the opening round of the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, with the organisers opting for a very similar Friday / Saturday format which was used this year and proved extremely popular with competitors judging by the feedback received.

As always, the rally will be based in Carlisle, the border city hosting the town centre start and finish formalities while central service will be on Carlisle Airport where, in addition to the service park,  the organisers are hoping to create a “Rally Village” with car displays, information points and catering facilities amongst the planned attractions, while Rally headquarters, media centre and scrutineering will also be located there.

The rally format will again feature stages located close together with the Friday evening action taking place in the Kershope and Newcastleton area while Saturday will see crews head  East to the fast, flowing stages in the main Kielder Forest complex.