Motorcycles speed cameras will be used during the rally

Four clearly marked motorcycles will be used along with 18 mobile vans in the annual crackdown by the authorities.

The action against people who race between different stages follows 2,316 offences recorded two years ago during the rally.

The sporting event, staged in Wales for the last four years, is a round of the World Rally Championship.

Held between 16-19 September, the rally begins in Cardiff, heads west and then north to mid Wales before returning to the capital for the finish.

There was a 56% drop in recorded speeding between stages during last year's rally compared with 2002.

Ideally, I'd like to see no-one caught during the event John Rowling, manager of the Safety Camera Partnership

The Mid and South Wales Safety Camera Partnership has been working with rally organisers to make sure percentages are cut further when the race starts on Thursday.

In 2002, 17 rally drivers were fined or banned for offences after a high-profile clampdown.

John Rowling, manager of the Safety Camera Partnership, said: "We were extremely pleased with the results of last year's rally.

"The numbers caught speeding dropped dramatically and there were no serious accidents or any of the excessive speeds that we've witnessed in previous years.

"Ideally, I'd like to see no-one caught during the event but this can only happen if all competitors, spectators and other motorists comply with speed limits."

John Horton of Wales Rally GB said "strict rules and regulations" governed competitors.

The sporting event generates millions for the Welsh economy

"Drivers and teams can face penalties if they don't observe regulations and that applies throughout all rallies and we're no different in Wales.

One of Wales' biggest sporting events, the Wales Rally GB, survived a threat to its future in March.

There were fears that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) was going to pull the event out of Wales after a police crackdown on competitors speeding between stage.

But the FIA said this year's rally in September would have full world championship status after discussions in Geneva, Switzerland.

Seventeen rally drivers were fined or banned for speeding in 2002.

The convictions led the FIA to suggest that the roads of south Wales were unsuitable for a world championship event, and that it should be downgraded.