This presentation took place in the Canal + Group’s headquarters in the presence of partners of the event and the organization team, and was attended by Sébastien Ogier – Volkswagen Motorsport works driver – and Yves Matton, the Citroën Racing Team Principal, – one of the event’s official partners.
Nicolas Deschaux, President of the French Motor Sports Federation, was very happy with “the on-going success of the event and the very positive 2012 results by the FIA organization team.”
Above and beyond the sporting aspect and Sébastien Loeb’s exceptional victory on his home turf, the FFSA President reminded those present that “the 2012 Rally France-Alsace was marked by exceptional collaboration with the Sport + channel, which provided live coverage of the whole rally, a worldwide first in the World Rally Championship!”
The meeting also gave the FFSA the opportunity to report on the 2012 event in terms of media fallout, the marketing and promotional aspects, plus the safety and protection of the environment measures and present the challenges and aims for 2013.
Rally France is the showcase of the Federation’s expertise and it gives the FFSA an exceptional opportunity to innovate and aim for irreproachability. This ambition is symbolized by the partnership signed with Sport + in 2012, renewed for 2013, and given concrete form this year by a new positioning of the Power Stage, the first special of Rally France-Alsace, which will be shown live on Sport +.
The route of the 2013 Rally France-Alsace reflects the expertise gathered by the rally organization team, and it respects the format laid down by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
Dominique Serieys made a point of reminding those present that “the 2013 route had been designed taking into account the challenges linked to spectator safety and the protection of the environment without diluting the sporting intensity of the event.”
The total distance of the 2013 Rally France-Alsace divided up into four legs is 1249,13 km, including 313,09 timed stages.
Leg 1, Thursday 3rd October will be marked by a longer first super stage that will also double up as the Power Stage.
2013 innovation: this year additional points will be awarded for the first stage shown live on Sport +, like the whole rally. Thus, the media and the sporting battle between all the crews will begin right from the start of the event: this will lead to an intense fight and increased media coverage.
The order of legs 2 and 3 has been inversed compared to last year.
First of all, the crews will set out on the roads in the Bas-Rhin on Friday 4th October to tackle 116,08 km timed stages.
The “Vosges-Pays d’Ormont” stage is the one that has undergone the biggest modifications this year. It has been shortened by around ten kilometers and the crews will cover a completely new first section passing through the Raids pass.
The third day in the Haut-Rhin is the leg with the most timed kilometers (134,93 km) with Colmar again as the hub.
The “Vallée de Munster” stage has been slightly modified for logistical reasons and also to take into account the capricious weather conditions. The length of this stage will be reduced to 16,73 km.
The fourth and final leg on Sunday 6th October includes 56,58 timed km and will be run in the same order as last year.
“We’re very pleased to offer the Sport + subscribers the whole of the World Rally Championship for the second year running,” said François-Charles Bideaux, the production manager.
“Sport + is going to deploy an exceptional film crew on Rally France-Alsace to show all the stages live in addition to the 26-minute daily round-up plus the hour-long summary on the final day.”
MEDIA INFORMATION
Official photos and information are on line on the site http://media.ffsa.org (on creation of a personal account) or www.rallyedefrance.com
A selection of video images and photos free of rights is available on request from the FFSA.