Petter Solberg has more experience of Wales Rally GB than any other event in the WRC. He has contested the rally every year since 1998 and 2007 will be start number 10. His first rally win came in Wales in 2002, and his second consecutive win there in 2003 clinched his world championship.
Chris Atkinson has contested the rally twice before, in 2005 and 2006.
Xevi Pons has tackled Rally GB four times before, in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, though this is his first with the team.
The Subaru World Rally Team has won Rally GB more times than any other round of the WRC, with stage victories in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Discounting the inherited result of 2005, Subaru and Ford are tied on eight GB wins apiece - sharing the honour of being the most successful team on this rally in the modern history of the WRC.
Colin McRae in action at Rally GB 1995 Photo: SWRT
On this event in:
1993
At the start of the Impreza era Ari Vatanen won three stages of the then Network Q RAC Rally in his Impreza 555 alongside Bruno Berglund, whilst Colin McRae/Derek Ringer won nine stages.
1994
The following year McRae and Ringer took their second win of the year with 16 stage victories. Richard Burns, co-driven by Robert Reid, started his second WRC event with the team.
1995
The team claimed every step of the podium in a clean sweep: McRae and Ringer won, Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya were second and Burns and Reid third.
1996
It was not included as a round of the WRC calendar.
1997
McRae again took victory, this time co-driven by Nicky Grist, on the 102nd WRC start for the Impreza 555.
1998
Renamed the Network Q Rally of Great Britain, McRae and Grist took 11 stage wins, while Colin’s brother Alister McRae, co-driven by David Senior, won three. Despite this pace, neither car finished the event.
1999
A clean sweep once again as the team’s two Impreza WRC99s claimed first and second. Burns and Reid won, their third victory of the year, and the pair of Juha Kankkunen/Juha Repo second.
2000
Burns and Reid won again with five stage victories, and Kankkunen and Repo were fifth with a stage win. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills, in their fourth WRC event with the team, won two stages.
2001
The team entered four Impreza WRC2001s for Burns and Reid, Solberg and Mills, Markko Martin/Michael Park, and Toshi Arai/Glenn MacNeall. Burns and Reid were the team’s highest placed duo in third.
2002
Aboard their Impreza WRC2002, Solberg and Mills won their first event with eight stage wins. In their first year in WRC with the team, Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom finished fourth.
2003
The team’s 125th start since introducing the Impreza, it was the first year in which the event’s name was changed to Wales Rally GB. Solberg and Mills took 13 stage wins on their way to overall victory and their world championship title, and team mates Makinen and Lindstrom took third.
2004
In 2004 the event was moved from its usual November slot to mid-September. Solberg and Mills took their third GB win in as many years, and Mikko Hirvonen/Jarno Lehtinen finished seventh.
2005
Again run in mid-September, Chris Atkinson/Glenn Macneall and Stephane Sarrazin/Denis Giraudet competed on their first Wales Rally GB with the team.
2006
The event was moved back to a November date. Solberg and Mills took five stage victories to finish third, and Atkinson and Macneall were sixth.
2007
This year is Petter’s tenth Wales Rally GB start, and Xevi Pons’ first with the Subaru World Rally Team.