November 2003

Rallye Sunseeker, the largest Motorsport event in the south of England’s sporting calendar, is taking place over the weekend of 27/28th February 2004 and several innovations are being incorporated into the schedule.

Organised jointly by Southern Car Club Ltd and Croydon & District Motor Club Ltd, the rally is sponsored for the sixth consecutive year by Poole-based Sunseeker International and retains its Headquarters at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel.

Of their continued involvement, John Braithwaite, Design and Technical Director of Sunseeker International, said “Rallye Sunseeker has been an important part of our events calendar for the last few years and has proved very successful in raising the profile the company, not only locally but within the motor sport environment as a whole. It’s a great day for drivers and spectators alike and we have clients in both camps. This year’s event should be one of the best and I wish the organisers and competitors the very best of luck.”

For the first time, Rallye Sunseeker features a Friday-night section which will see competitors tackling two floodlit special stages which run through the Gardens, in the center of Bournemouth, and out along the Promenade. Following an overnight halt, crews will resume at 08.15 on Saturday morning as they head out to stages in Wareham Forest, none of which has been used since the late 1990s, further forestry stages in and around Ringwood, interspersed with three visits to stages specifically designed with spectators in mind at Somerley Park.

The finish of the rally, with the traditional champagne spraying, will take place back in Bournemouth, adjacent to the Pier, where the first car is due to arrive at 6.00pm on the Saturday evening.

2004 Rallye Sunseeker is a qualifying round of the Kumho National Rally Championship, the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge and the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, as well as a number of regional Rally Championships. Consequently, take-up for the 120 places available on the entry list is expected to be high.