Wikipedia

2004 Wales Rally GB

The 2004 Wales Rally GB (formally the 60th Wales Rally of Great Britain) was a rallying autosports race held over four days between 16 and 19 September 2004 and operated out of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It was the twelfth round of the 2004 World Rally Championship (WRC) and the 60th running of the event. Contested over 19 stages, the rally was won by Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg. Sébastien Loeb finished second for the Citroën World Rally Team and Ford driver Markko Märtin came in third.[1]

2004 Wales Rally GB
60th Wales Rally of Great Britain
Round 12 of the 2004 World Rally Championship season
← Previous eventNext event →
Host country Great Britain
Rally baseCardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Dates runSeptember 16, 2004 – September 19, 2004
Stages19 (394.03 km; 244.84 miles)
Stage surfaceGravel, mud
Overall distance1,298.12 km (806.61 miles)
Statistics
Crews83 at start, 42 at finish
Overall results
Overall winnerNorway Petter Solberg
United Kingdom Phil Mills
Japan 555 Subaru World Rally Team
Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04

Report

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Background

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The 2004 Wales Rally GB was the twelfth round of the 2004 World Rally Championship (WRC) after taking a two-week break since the previous race of the season in Japan.[2] It was held over four days from Thursday, 16 September to Sunday, 19 September 2004.[3] The rally headquarters was set up in Cardiff but some stages of the rally were altered. One new place the rally went to was Epynt forest with parts of the Rhondda and Resolven combined to form a new stage. The stage in Rheola returned to the event but was revised to make it faster and the rally concluded in Cardiff instead of Margam Country Park the previous year.[4] Before the event, Sébastien Loeb led the Drivers' Championship with 84 points, ahead of Petter Solberg in second and Markko Märtin third. Carlos Sainz was fourth on 50 points, and Marcus Grönholm was three points adrift in fifth.[5] Citroën were leading the Manufacturers' Championship with 137 points; Ford stood in second on 102 points, 33 in front of Subaru. Peugeot were fourth on 73 points and Mitsubishi rounded out the top five with 17 points.[5] Citroën had so far been the most successful team over the course of the season with Ford claiming one victory with Märtin in México and Subaru had taken three wins apiece.[5]

With pressure from the South Wales Police who initiated a campaign against speeding, the rally was under threat from cancellation as several drivers had been observed exceeding the local speed limit in the 2002 event, and the world governing body of motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), announced it would investigate whether the roads were suitable for the large amount of rally traffic.[6] On 12 December 2003 the Wales Rally GB was granted a provisional slot on the 2004 WRC calendar pending a formal road review by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) after the FIA chose not to downgrade the event which would have made the event illegible to count for championship points.[7] Five towns in England were mooted as alternative bases in the event Wales was deemed unsuitable.[8] The FIA president Max Mosley later held discussions with the chief constable of South Wales Police Barbara Wilding and the Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain.[9] At the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on 24 March, the MSA presented a traffic management report that confirmed the roads the rally used were safer than the national average. The council later confirmed that the rally would be given the go-ahead but would be monitored by FIA observers until its future as a championship round was secure.[10]

87 crews registered to compete in the rally.[11] The starting order for Leg 1 was "Priority 1" (P1) and P2 WRC drivers in the order of the current classification following the previous race of the 2004 season, followed by all other drivers as decided by the MSA. Solberg, the previous season's champion, set off first, followed by Loeb, then Sainz.[12]

Entry list

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No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Tyre
World Rally Championship manufacturer entries
1   Petter Solberg   Phil Mills   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 P
2   Mikko Hirvonen   Jarmo Lehtinen   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 P
3   Sébastien Loeb   Daniel Elena   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC M
4   Carlos Sainz   Marc Martí   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC M
5   Marcus Grönholm   Timo Rautiainen   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC M
6   Harri Rovanperä   Risto Pietiläinen   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC M
7   Markko Märtin   Michael Park   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 M
8   François Duval   Stéphane Prévot   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 M
World Rally Championship entries
11   Armin Schwarz   Manfred Hiemer   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC M
12   Toni Gardemeister   Paavo Lukander   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC M
14   Janne Tuohino   Jukka Aho   Janne Tuohino Ford Focus RS WRC '02 M
15   Daniel Carlsson   Matthias Andersson   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC M
16   Manfred Stohl   Ilka Minor   Manfred Stohl Peugeot 206 WRC P
17   Henning Solberg   Cato Menkerud   Bozian Racing Peugeot 206 WRC M
18   Jani Paasonen   Jani Vainikka   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC M
19   Alistair Ginley   Rory Kennedy   Alistair Ginley Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 P
20   Antony Warmbold   Gemma Price   Antony Warmbold Ford Focus RS WRC '02 M
21   Mark Higgins   Michael Gibson   M-Sport Ford Focus RS WRC '01 M
61   Nicolas Vouilloz   Denis Giraudet   Bozian Racing Peugeot 206 WRC M
62   Matthew Wilson   Scott Martin   M-Sport Ford Focus RS WRC '02 M
63   Dougi Hall   Steve Egglestone   Dougi Hall Ford Focus RS WRC '02 —
64   Craig Middleton   Robin Hernaman   Craig Middleton Hyundai Accent WRC3 —
65   Steve Petch   John Richardson   Steve Petch Hyundai Accent WRC —
69   Kevin Lynch   Francis Regan   Kevin Lynch Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 —
71   Constantin Aur   Adrian Berghea   Balkan Racing Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 —
72   Dan Girtofan   Dorin Pulpea   Balkan Racing Seat Cordoba WRC —
74   Jimmy McRae   Pauline Gullick   Jimmy McRae Subaru Impreza 555 —
83   Nigel Heath   Alec Cooper   Nigel Heath Hyundai Accent WRC3 —
84   Yorgo Philippedes   Mark Andrews   Yorgo Philippedes Hyundai Accent WRC3 —
105   Paul James   Derek Davies   Paul James Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII MR —
JWRC entries
31   Mirco Baldacci   Giovanni Bernacchini   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
32   Urmo Aava   Kuldar Sikk   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
33   Guy Wilks   Phil Pugh   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
34   Alessandro Broccoli   Giovanni Agnese   Sab Motorsport Fiat Punto S1600 P
35   Kosti Katajamäki   Timo Alanne   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
36   Kris Meeke   David Senior   McRae Motorsport Opel Corsa S1600 P
37   Luca Cecchettini   Nicola Arena   Autorel Sport Renault Clio S1600 P
39   Nicolas Bernardi   Jean-Marc Fortin   Renault Sport Renault Clio S1600 P
40   Guerlain Chicherit   Mathieu Baumel   Citroën Total Citroën Saxo S1600 P
41   Natalie Barratt   Carl Williamson   Risbridger Motorsport Renault Clio S1600 P
42   Mathieu Biasion   Eric Domenech   Power Car Team Renault Clio S1600 P
43   Jari-Matti Latvala   Miikka Anttila   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
44   Alan Scorcioni   Silvio Stefanelli   H.F. Grifone SRL Fiat Punto S1600 P
45   Per-Gunnar Andersson   Jonas Andersson   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 P
46   Xavier Pons   Oriol Julià Pascual   RACC Motor Sport Fiat Punto S1600 P
47   Luca Tabaton   Gisella Rovegno   H.F. Grifone SRL Fiat Punto S1600 P
48   Conrad Rautenbach   Mark Jones   Birkbeck Rallysport Opel Corsa S1600 P
49   Luca Betti   Michele Rosso   Meteco Corse Fiat Punto S1600 P
50   Oliver Marshall   Craig Parry   Prospeed Motorsport Renault Clio S1600 P
51   Larry Cols   Filip Goddé   Renault Sport Renault Clio S1600 P
Source:[13]

Itinerary

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All dates and times are BST (UTC+1).

Date Time No. Stage name Distance
Leg 1 — 183.31 km
16 September 19:05 SS1 Cardiff Super Special 1 2.45 km
17 September 07:13 SS2 Brechfa 1 29.98 km
08:01 SS3 Trawscoed 1 27.97 km
10:09 SS4 Brechfa 2 29.98 km
10:57 SS5 Trawscoed 2 27.97 km
14:28 SS6 Rheola 1 32.48 km
17:34 SS7 Rheola 2 32.48 km
Leg 2 — 120.72 km
18 September 09:03 SS8 Crychan 1 13.45 km
09:33 SS9 Epynt 1 13.33 km
10:05 SS10 Halfway 1 18.58 km
12:05 SS11 Crychan 2 13.45 km
12:34 SS12 Epynt 2 13.33 km
13:07 SS13 Halfway 2 18.58 km
16:09 SS14 Margam 1 27.55 km
17:54 SS15 Cardiff Super Special 2 2.45 km
Leg 3 — 90.00 km
19 September 07:43 SS16 Rhondda 1 30.00 km
10:46 SS17 Rhondda 2 30.00 km
12:05 SS18 Margam 2 27.55 
14:15 SS19 Cardiff Super Special 3 2.45 km
Source:[14]

Results

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Overall

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Pos. No. Driver Co-driver Team Car Time Difference Points
1 1   Petter Solberg   Phil Mills   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 3:42:39.5 10
2 3   Sébastien Loeb   Daniel Elena   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC 3:42:45.8 +6.3 8
3 7   Markko Märtin   Michael Park   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 3:45:33.2 +2:53.7 6
4 4   Carlos Sainz   Marc Martí   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC 3:46:21.6 +3:42.1 5
5 8   François Duval   Stéphane Prévot   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 3:47:20.8 +4:41.3 4
6 6   Harri Rovanperä   Risto Pietiläinen   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC 3:49:24.4 +6:44.9 3
7 2   Mikko Hirvonen   Jarmo Lehtinen   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 3:49:47.8 +7:08.3 2
8 16   Manfred Stohl   Ilka Minor   Manfred Stohl Peugeot 206 WRC 3:52:59.6 +10:20.1 1

World Rally Cars

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Classification

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Position No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time Difference Points
Event Class
1 1 1   Petter Solberg   Phil Mills   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 3:42:39.5 10
2 2 3   Sébastien Loeb   Daniel Elena   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC 3:42:45.8 +6.3 8
3 3 7   Markko Märtin   Michael Park   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 3:45:33.2 +2:53.7 6
4 4 4   Carlos Sainz   Marc Martí   Citroën Total WRT Citroën Xsara WRC 3:46:21.6 +3:42.1 5
5 5 8   François Duval   Stéphane Prévot   Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '04 3:47:20.8 +4:41.3 4
6 6 6   Harri Rovanperä   Risto Pietiläinen   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC 3:49:24.4 +6:44.9 3
7 7 2   Mikko Hirvonen   Jarmo Lehtinen   555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 3:49:47.8 +7:08.3 2
Retired SS10 5   Marcus Grönholm   Timo Rautiainen   Marlboro Peugeot Total Peugeot 307 WRC Accident damage 0

Special stages

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Day Stage Stage name Length Winner Car Time Class leaders
Leg 1 (16 Sep) SS1 Cardiff Super Special 1 2.45 km   François Duval Ford Focus RS WRC '04 2:06.5   François Duval
Leg 1 (17 Sep) SS2 Brechfa 1 29.98 km   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara WRC 16:43.5   Sébastien Loeb
SS3 Trawscoed 1 27.97 km   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara WRC 16:07.4
SS4 Brechfa 2 29.98 km   Marcus Grönholm Peugeot 307 WRC 17:18.1
SS5 Trawscoed 2 27.97 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 16:42.7
SS6 Rheola 1 32.48 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 18:13.0
SS7 Rheola 2 32.48 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 18:23.4
Leg 2 (18 Sep) SS8 Crychan 1 13.45 km   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara WRC 7:29.1
SS9 Epynt 1 13.33 km   François Duval Ford Focus RS WRC '04 7:42.9
SS10 Halfway 1 18.58 km   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara WRC 10:37.1
SS11 Crychan 2 13.45 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 7:32.8
SS12 Epynt 2 13.33 km   François Duval Ford Focus RS WRC '04 7:49.1
SS13 Halfway 2 18.58 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 10:45.1
SS14 Margam 1 27.55 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 15:06.4
SS15 Cardiff Super Special 2 2.45 km   François Duval Ford Focus RS WRC '04 2:07.1
Leg 3 (19 Sep) SS16 Rhondda 1 30.00 km   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Xsara WRC 15:08.6
SS17 Rhondda 2 30.00 km   Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 14:51.1
SS18 Margam 2 27.55    Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 15:06.7   Petter Solberg
SS19 Cardiff Super Special 3 2.45 km   Markko Märtin Ford Focus RS WRC '04 2:04.8

Championship standings

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Pos. Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Manufacturers' championships
Move Driver Points Move Co-driver Points Move Manufacturer Points
1     Sébastien Loeb 92     Daniel Elena 92     Citroën Total WRT 150
2     Petter Solberg 64     Phil Mills 64     Ford Motor Co. Ltd. 112
3     Markko Märtin 59     Michael Park 59     555 Subaru World Rally Team 91
4     Carlos Sainz 55     Marc Martí 55     Marlboro Peugeot Total 76
5     Marcus Grönholm 47     Timo Rautiainen 47     Mitsubishi Motors 17

Junior World Rally Championship

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Classification

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Position No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time Difference Points
Event Class
18 1 33   Guy Wilks   Phil Pugh   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 4:16:25.6 10
20 2 36   Kris Meeke   David Senior   McRae Motorsport Opel Corsa S1600 4:18:26.2 +2:00.6 8
21 3 35   Kosti Katajamäki   Timo Alanne   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 4:19:05.1 +2:39.5 6
23 4 43   Jari-Matti Latvala   Miikka Anttila   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 4:26:13.4 +9:47.8 5
24 5 46   Xavier Pons   Oriol Julià Pascual   RACC Motor Sport Fiat Punto S1600 4:29:24.6 +12:59.0 4
26 6 49   Luca Betti   Michele Rosso   Meteco Corse Fiat Punto S1600 4:32:53.6 +16:28.0 3
32 7 44   Alan Scorcioni   Silvio Stefanelli   H.F. Grifone SRL Fiat Punto S1600 4:44:48.1 +28:22.5 2
34 8 47   Luca Tabaton   Gisella Rovegno   H.F. Grifone SRL Fiat Punto S1600 4:46:01.3 +29:35.7 1
Retired SS16 31   Mirco Baldacci   Giovanni Bernacchini   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 Accident 0
Retired SS11 45   Per-Gunnar Andersson   Jonas Andersson   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 Brakes 0
Retired SS9 41   Natalie Barratt   Carl Williamson   Risbridger Motorsport Renault Clio S1600 Engine 0
Retired SS8 34   Alessandro Broccoli   Giovanni Agnese   Sab Motorsport Fiat Punto S1600 Engine 0
Retired SS8 50   Oliver Marshall   Craig Parry   Prospeed Motorsport Renault Clio S1600 Engine mounting 0
Retired SS8 51   Larry Cols   Filip Goddé   Renault Sport Renault Clio S1600 Excluded 0
Retired SS7 37   Luca Cecchettini   Nicola Arena   Autorel Sport Renault Clio S1600 Steering 0
Retired SS7 39   Nicolas Bernardi   Jean-Marc Fortin   Renault Sport Renault Clio S1600 Accident 0
Retired SS7 40   Guerlain Chicherit   Mathieu Baumel   Citroën Total Citroën Saxo S1600 Accident 0
Retired SS6 42   Mathieu Biasion   Eric Domenech   Power Car Team Renault Clio S1600 Accident 0
Retired SS4 32   Urmo Aava   Kuldar Sikk   Suzuki Sport Suzuki Ignis S1600 Accident 0
Retired SS2 48   Conrad Rautenbach   Mark Jones   Birkbeck Rallysport Opel Corsa S1600 Gearbox 0

Special stages

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Day Stage Stage name Length Winner Car Time Class leaders
Leg 1 (16 Sep) SS1 Cardiff Super Special 1 2.45 km   Per-Gunnar Andersson Suzuki Ignis S1600 2:19.9   Per-Gunnar Andersson
Leg 1 (17 Sep) SS2 Brechfa 1 29.98 km   Guy Wilks Suzuki Ignis S1600 19:37.9   Guy Wilks
SS3 Trawscoed 1 27.97 km   Mirco Baldacci Suzuki Ignis S1600 18:51.3   Mirco Baldacci
SS4 Brechfa 2 29.98 km   Nicolas Bernardi Renault Clio S1600 20:00.2
SS5 Trawscoed 2 27.97 km   Mirco Baldacci Suzuki Ignis S1600 19:16.4
SS6 Rheola 1 32.48 km   Mirco Baldacci Suzuki Ignis S1600 20:49.7
SS7 Rheola 2 32.48 km   Mirco Baldacci Suzuki Ignis S1600 21:01.2
Leg 2 (18 Sep) SS8 Crychan 1 13.45 km   Per-Gunnar Andersson Suzuki Ignis S1600 8:31.7
SS9 Epynt 1 13.33 km   Per-Gunnar Andersson Suzuki Ignis S1600 8:51.6
SS10 Halfway 1 18.58 km   Mirco Baldacci Suzuki Ignis S1600 11:52.0
SS11 Crychan 2 13.45 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 8:32.8
SS12 Epynt 2 13.33 km   Guy Wilks Suzuki Ignis S1600 9:02.4
SS13 Halfway 2 18.58 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 11:58.2
SS14 Margam 1 27.55 km   Guy Wilks Suzuki Ignis S1600 17:20.3
SS15 Cardiff Super Special 2 2.45 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 2:21.2
Leg 3 (19 Sep) SS16 Rhondda 1 30.00 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 17:11.1   Guy Wilks
SS17 Rhondda 2 30.00 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 17:07.4
SS18 Margam 2 27.55    Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 17:34.1
SS19 Cardiff Super Special 3 2.45 km   Kris Meeke Opel Corsa S1600 2:18.4

Championship standings

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Pos. Drivers' championships
Move Driver Points
1   2   Guy Wilks 26
2   1   Nicolas Bernardi 24
3   1   Kosti Katajamäki 22
4   2   Per-Gunnar Andersson 21
5     Urmo Aava 16

References

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  1. ^ "Rallies – Great Britain 2004". Jonnka's World Rally Archive. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. ^ "World Rally calendar 2004". BBC Sport. 31 October 2004. Archived from the original on 12 June 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Rally of Great Britain: Round 12 preview". motorsport.com. 16 September 2004. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Rally GB gets route revamp". Autosport. 10 March 2004. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "FIA World Rally Championship Championship Classifications". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  6. ^ Gordon, Ian (12 November 2003). "Speeding fines put GB event in doubt". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Rally GB faces safety inquiry". BBC Sport. 12 December 2003. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Five alternative venues in line for Rally GB". Autosport. 27 January 2004. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  9. ^ "'Hype' blamed for putting rally in jeopardy". WalesOnline. 25 March 2004. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  10. ^ Proby, Johnny (24 March 2004). "Wales Rally gets green light". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Wales Rally GB Entry List". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  12. ^ "2004 FIA World Rally Championship – Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 December 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2005. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Wales Rally GB 2004 Entry List". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Wales Rally GB 2004 Itinerary". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
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Previous event:
2004 Rally Japan 		FIA World Rally Championship,
2004 season 		Next event:
2004 Rally d'Italia Sardegna
Previous year:
2003 Wales Rally GB 		Wales Rally GB Next year:
2005 Wales Rally GB
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