I just want to highlight this quote from today's Autosport that really sums up the genius of this idea:

"We do not exclude shortening the rallies, but I see it in the bigger strategic context with 14, 15 or 16 rallies. If we are talking about [shortening] one or two rallies, it wouldn't make much difference, but if we shorten them all then this can save 15 or 16 [days] - that's more than two weeks in a hotel. Then we are talking."

Oliver Ciesla, are you seriously trying to suggest that two weeks of room and board for ~50 people is comparable to the cost of traveling to and competing in three additional events around the world? It's not even the same order of magnitude! Are you seriously pretending that this would be a cost saving exercise? It's either unbelievably dishonest or completely economically illiterate. I'm not sure which is worse.

I don't like this guy. I don't think he actually gets rallying, and I don't think he's a good promoter for the sport.