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World Rally Championship finale Rally GB 2014 earns capacity entry

Rally GB has attracted a capacity entry for the first time in its 15 years of running in Wales

Next month's 2014 World Rally Championship finale will run with the maximum 160 crews starting the international and national events, prompting organisers to run a reserve list - something that has not been required on the event this century.

"Running a reserve list is a very nice problem to have," said Rally GB managing director Ben Taylor. "But I wouldn't say I'm surprised by the number of entries coming.

"I think it's a fair reflection on the interest and enthusiasm we have seen in the last five or six months. I've been out on national rallies and talked to people and the resurgence is there on all levels.

"Wales Rally GB used to be the crescendo of the British season, the event everybody built themselves up for and that's what we've got coming back."

The size of the entry has created a conundrum for the Friday November 14 itinerary; if the organisers allowed more than 160 cars to go through the mid-Wales stages of Dyfi and Hafren, the leading cars going into the second run could catch the tailenders completing their first run.

Leading British WRC driver Kris Meeke was delighted by his home rally's resurgence.

"I was at the press day for Rally GB a couple of weeks ago and the enthusiasm was huge," he said.

"It was really impressive to hear what Ben and the other people from the Welsh government had to say.

"This event is a special one, a very special one and we're getting it back to where it should be."

The entry is headlined by 14 World Rally Cars - the 12 full-season runners complemented by Henning Solberg and Ott Tanak - while former WRC regular Matthew Wilson returns as part of a healthy WRC2 contingent.

RALLY GB ENTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Volkswagen: Sebastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala, Andreas Mikkelsen
Citroen: Kris Meeke, Mads Ostberg
M-Sport/private Ford: Mikko Hirvonen, Elfyn Evans, Robert Kubica, Henning Solberg, Martin Prokop, Ott Tanak
Hyundai: Thierry Neuville, Juho Hanninen, Hayden Paddon

Leading WRC2-spec entrants: Matthew Wilson, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Jari Ketomaa, Karl Kruuda, Lorenzo Bertelli, Quentin Gilbert, David Bogie, Tom Cave, Marty McCormack

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