Safari out/Monte in for 2010?

[Simmi]

Autosport today has news that it looks like the Safari will be dropped from the IRC calendar this year.

Yet on the plus side it says that the ACM is thinking long and hard about whether it wants to go back the WRC and rotation next year - and would quite possibly like to stay on as a permanent member of the IRC.

Thirdly it looks like the final round of the year in Scotland will be given a huge dose of live programming similar to what we saw in Monte Carlo. Hopefully the title will go down to the wire!

Discuss...

[Audimadgeoff]

one of my representatives who is in Kenya at the moment has just returned from a meeting with the organisers of the Safari. They told us that the planning is going ahead and that the rally will take place regardless of whether the IRC include it in the championship or not.
The funding is in place thus it would be disappointing for such a classic to be ommitted!

[Simmi]

one of my representatives who is in Kenya at the moment has just returned from a meeting with the organisers of the Safari. They told us that the planning is going ahead and that the rally will take place regardless of whether the IRC include it in the championship or not.
The funding is in place thus it would be disappointing for such a classic to be ommitted!

Do you happen to know the reason the IRC would pull it from their championship? Lack of entries and expense?

No one wants the Safari to get dropped or lost. But if it ran in the IRC this year it would still attract very few top-level drivers. I would like to see it included in a couple of years. If the IRC maintains its upwards curve there will be more teams wanting to prove they can win the toughest test of all.

[atsiotras79]

If the Safari is dropped, is there a possibility of being replaced from another event in the 2009 calendar?

[anthonyvop]

Autosport today has news that it looks like the Safari will be dropped from the IRC calendar this year.

Yet on the plus side it says that the ACM is thinking long and hard about whether it wants to go back the WRC and rotation next year - and would quite possibly like to stay on as a permanent member of the IRC.

Thirdly it looks like the final round of the year in Scotland will be given a huge dose of live programming similar to what we saw in Monte Carlo. Hopefully the title will go down to the wire!

Discuss...

Link please?

[Simmi]

Link please?

No can do I'm affraid. All three stories were in the magazine which came out today in the UK. Its a reputable source but unfortunately they haven't transferred anything to their internet site yet.

[ProRally]

THAT would be a surprise, ACM would refuse to be part of WRC and continue with IRC

But on the other hand ACM is so strong, they can basicly do as the please (and have done so in the past)

[bluuford]

Is there Safarai in 2009 in IRC or not?
Do we have 2 months without IRC now?

[Buzz Lightyear]

Oliver Quenenel expressed interest to merge championship. I expect he know this was the only way there are to get the Monte back in IRC, and for Citroen and Seb with dominate the event. He knows ACM will go IRC.

[Karbonyl]

Nothing official, but all Safari organizer's documents still have included infos about this event being a part of IRC, so I believe the next IRC round is going on at the beginning of April in Africa