Cologne opener for Deutschland

With five weeks to go until ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the ninth round of the 2013 World Rally Championship, event organisers have given details of a spectacular rally-opening show in the heart of Cologne.

While most of the action of the German event is centered on the roads around host town Trier, close to the Luxembourg border, on Thursday 22 August, the rally’s opening day, the focus shifts almost 200 kilometres north to the country’s fourth-largest city, Cologne.

From 2.30pm at the Roncalliplatz, next to Cologne cathedral, spectators will get the chance to see all the WRC cars and hear many of the drivers interviewed before they leave for the first test of the rally.

ADAC Motor Sport President Hermann Tomczyk said: "We have nurtured the idea of bringing the ADAC Rallye Deutschland to a big city for some time. I am glad we could make this idea come true this year. Our intention behind this is to address the broader public and share the fascination of rally-racing with more fans.”

Crews will be flagged-off at minute intervals after the presentation to drive to a regrouping on Harry-Blum square in Cologne. From there they will head southwest of Cologne to the rally’s opening stage, the new 23.60km Blankenheim.

From Blankenheim the drivers will head to the Trier region for another new stage – the 19.58km Sauertal, which starts at 1958hrs. After an overnight halt in Trier, the rally will feature another three days of competition, with 14 more stages spread across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.