Qualifying Stage details emerge

Details of the new-for-2012 Qualifying Stage concept are beginning to emerge as organisers of the opening rounds of next season publish their Rally Guides, a document containing all essential event information.

The Qualifying Stage has been introduced to determine the starting order for Priority 1 and Priority 2 drivers on the first day of all loose-surface rounds of next year’s World Rally Championship.

Crews will be permitted to complete two passes of the Qualifying Stage during a two-hour window of free practice, known previously as Shakedown. Then, in championship order, crews will complete one qualifying run in an attempt to set the fastest time possible.

The P1 and P2 crews, in order of fastest to slowest, will select their starting position for the opening day of competition. A P1 or P2 driver not able to complete the Qualifying Stage will be the last to select their starting position.

In an effort to prevent the use of tactics when drivers deliberately slowing down near the finish of stages to influence starting position for the next day of an event, all P1 and P2 crews will restart in reverse order of their provisional overall classification.

The first Qualifying Stage of the season will take place on Rally Sweden with organisers planning to use the 1.9-kilometre Super Special Stage Karlstad on Thursday 9 February to determine the starting order for day one.

On Rally Guanajuato Mexico in March, the Qualifying Stage will be based in San Jose de Llanos, 50 kilometres from the service park in Leon, on Thursday 8 March where a 4.75-kilometre course will be created.

Drivers will fight for the right to select their road position for the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal by tackling the 4.96-kilometre Vale do Judeu Qualifying Stage on the morning of Wednesday 28 March.