Rally GB service area moved closer to Swansea.

The organisers of the Wales Rally GB have confirmed that the service park will move from Felindre to a new site within SA1 Swansea Waterfront this year, when the event celebrates its 75th anniversary.

The decision to shift to a venue closer to Swansea City Centre will help to bring the event more in line with the kind of service facilities seen on some of the newer rounds in the WRC.

It is hoped that the SA1 Swansea Waterfront, a ?400 million development, will provide a more 'easily accessible location for spectators', as well as bringing rally teams closer to their accommodation and providing permanent facilities for the media.

"2007 will be the seventh year that the Rally Service Park has been located in Swansea and the Council is delighted to play host and support it once again this year," said Councillor Gerald Clement, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation & Tourism. "The new venue at SA1 Swansea Waterfront will add a new and exciting dimension to what is already a very successful event."

Gareth Hall, director, Welsh Assembly Government's Department of Enterprise, Innovations and Networks (DEIN), believes that the move from Felindre, where the service park has been based for the last six years, will boost spectator numbers.

"SA1 is a benchmark for waterfront regeneration and everyone can benefit from the new social, leisure and business opportunities that it offers. Moving the Service Park - the competitive hub of Wales Rally GB - to this impressive waterfront setting will introduce SA1 to a world wide audience and should encourage even more visitors to the rally," he added.

Cardiff meanwhile will continue as the host city, staging the ceremonial start on the evening of Thursday November 29 and the finish in the afternoon of Sunday December 2. Both will be in a new location near City Hall.