No problem with a closed stage as long as it's still a hundred or so kilometers long. Africa's really big.
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We just had an accident in ERC Cyprus Rally even though the stage was "closed". We don't want any more of that.
I want to be really cynical and nasty and point out that it's not the real Safari without open roads and helicopters and 6000km over a week. I want to, but I can't. I'm just too happy that the Promoter is finally willing to go back to Africa. What a win for the championship. It's been far too long.
I think it would be the best for everyone just to call it ”WRC Rally Kenya”
Maybe I misunderstood, but I read it as they will lose points if they have any more regulations violations.
Some countries still have idiotic laws from the past which are not enforced so if out highest legal system has leverage, so should this one.
It is not a competition in who can interpret the rules in the truest way to how FIA interpret them. It is a competition in who can be the quickest on the stages on equal terms. This is where the rules should be harsh, not for ridiculous things like time cards and a GoPro on your dashboard.
You make it sound like excluding a driver for not having his time card is some obscure mean hidden deep inside the regulations that no one knows about, when in reality it's very simple. If right now in Ypres Rally, Princen or Cronin would forget their time card at a time control, they'd be excluded, period. The reason why we very rarely see something like that, it's because it's a silly and stupid mistake that codrivers rarely make.
And this would have happened to Ogier in Sardinia as well, if it wasn't for Tanak. Thanks to him, stewards decided to give this "half penalty" to Ogier and grace him.
I don't know enough about what Lukyanuk did, so I can't say anything about his case.