So the dust has settled on 2017 and the FIA World Motor Sport Council has just confirmed that our 2018 date will be 4 – 7 October.  Three weeks earlier than this year.
 
It seems that November is a continual merry-go round of debriefs and meetings to dissect the most recent event but already there is a 2018 itinerary in circulation as plans advance for 10 months' time. 
 

2017 was a fabulous event; great competition, a brilliant result, fantastic weather and huge crowds.  We know that there are many elements that we can take and develop for the future, as well as those that we need to learn from.  These are all in the mix for discussion in the coming months.
 
At the beginning of November we sent out a questionnaire to all marshals requesting your feedback.  Thank you very much to the 839 of you who responded.  The comments have kept us busy reading through them. 
 
We promised that five respondents would receive a programme from the rally signed by the top competitors, as well as a Dayinsure Wales Rally GB hoodie from Performance Clothing.  The winners pulled from a proper rally beanie are: 
 
Alan Hill
Chris Hall
David Mansell
Jamie Clark
Gavin Wycherley

 
Your signed programme is on its way to you and the Performance Clothing elves are busy preparing your hoodie in time for it to be delivered for Christmas. 
 
Thank you to everyone who took part in this. 

When Ott Tanak crossed the Flying Finish line on Brenig at 12:50:12 it started a special 23 minutes in the history of M-Sport. 
 
Tanak's finish secured the 2017 WRC Manufacturers' Championship for the Cumbrian team. 
 
13 minutes later and Seb Ogier delivered the Drivers' Championship that has always managed to elude the team since they started in the World Rally Championship 20 years ago. 

Then at 13:13:07 Elfyn Evans made us all proud as the first Welsh winner of Rally GB and the first from the UK since Richard Burns in 2000.  A hat-trick for M-Sport! 
 
Doing all this on the UK round of the championship was a special moment for everyone involved with the event.  It sealed a special rally for us, as organisers, and a special year for the UK's only WRC team.

The month that follows the rally is also the time when we receive the reports from the various FIA delegates who attend the event on behalf of the governing body of world motor sport.  Consider it like receiving a Report Card from all your high school teachers at once. 
 
When you are measured against the other 12 World Rally Championship rounds it is a daunting task to come up to standard on all aspects.  We have received very positive reports from the safety, technical, media and medical delegates on all the aspects of the event.  This is in part a result of the pre-event planning, but most importantly down to the implementation of that planning on the day by you, the marshals.  Thank you.
 
As noted, the standard has been recognised to be very high on Rally GB but as always with reports there are areas of 'could do better.'  Many of these are highlighted as marshals congregating as a group in some areas of the stages instead of spreading out over the area that they are there to look after.  This is the second year that this has been specifically mentioned in our reports and, while this year was better, we must be aware of the need to keep improving.

All that remains is to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Please take the time to relax, to reminisce on what you delivered for the motor sport world in 2017 and to bask in the glory of a job very well done.  October 2018 will be here sooner than we think and we hope that we can rely on you to help us deliver another cracking event then. 
 
From all of us at IMS and on the rally, a massive thank you for all your support.