Today's meeting

[MJW]

Apologies for being Euro Centric but its 4 pm UK, and 5 pm CET and still no news from today's FIA meeting in Bahrain. - Juding by the time difference between Europe and Middle East I would have thought some news would have been released by this time. Allegedly it was the 1.6T and tech specs of the new WRC cars, Control tyres, and allowing much longer and roving events that was to be discussed.

[Mirek]

As far as I know ISC proposed calendar was rejected.

[Barreis]

http://www.rallybuzz.com/wrc-fia-wmsc-meeting-mar-10/

[Francis44]

Good decision about the engine.

[Sulland]

FIA Press release:
http://fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wmsc/2010/Pages/wmsc_110310.aspx

[AndyRAC]

Mmm, so if the Monte decides to stay with IRC, the WRC will start in Poland....., and end in Abu Dhabi......

Er, RallyGB should end the season - Abu Dhabi hasn't even run a candidate event, yet they seem to be booked in as the final round.

[PJRevs]

I dont uderstand those safety cars rules?

[RallyCat909]

I dont uderstand those safety cars rules?

Yeah, how does that work?

[WRCfan]

Despite knowing the FIA is only interested in money, why would rallying in Dubai be in the best interest of rallying? Jordan was the most boring, lame event I have ever watched.

Grading a road to go rallying on is not rallying in my opinion. Making long-standing A class rallies miss out to go play in a sandbox is unthinkable.

Just because you pay Ford lots of cash, and have your name on the side of their car does not EARN you the right to have a WRC event. There should be a standard, if you are not up to scratch then we dont come rallying there...

Pity it will go the other way and Finland, NZ, and other good rallies will soon eb scrapped because the oil tycoons can 'buy' events....

[Tomi]

Pity it will go the other way and Finland, NZ, and other good rallies will soon eb scrapped because the oil tycoons can 'buy' events....
Im not so worried about our rally, but this is bad for rally and exactly what our guy in the comission said might happen, when some of the new events started to boost their participation with money.

[J4MIE]

Yeah, how does that work?

Looks like continuing the new name of gravel crews, but for tarmac event only. What else did you think it meant?

[Brother John]

This way the F.I.A. keep on busy with assassinating of the WRC! :confused:
The same such as many other large world companies.
The sport is not important anymore, money, money, money.
Capitalism managed the world and the normal people(slave!!!) be or becomes unemployed.

[Lousada]

Looks like continuing the new name of gravel crews, but for tarmac event only. What else did you think it meant?

A silver Mercedes with orange flashlights that drives right in front of the competitors and sets the speed, perhaps? ;)

[Lousada]

Despite knowing the FIA is only interested in money, why would rallying in Dubai be in the best interest of rallying? Jordan was the most boring, lame event I have ever watched.

Grading a road to go rallying on is not rallying in my opinion. Making long-standing A class rallies miss out to go play in a sandbox is unthinkable.

Just because you pay Ford lots of cash, and have your name on the side of their car does not EARN you the right to have a WRC event. There should be a standard, if you are not up to scratch then we dont come rallying there...

Pity it will go the other way and Finland, NZ, and other good rallies will soon eb scrapped because the oil tycoons can 'buy' events....

Abby Dabby probably has very good facilities for the teams and officials. Just compare the Yas Marina F1 track with something like Silverstone. Okay, so it has no history, character or spectators but those things are just not interesting to the world of big money.

[Sulland]

Have they decided any details, or just that it is going to be a 1600T ?

Have the engine builders gotten what they need to start their work ?

11 months, and counting to first 2011 WRC event !!!

[sal]

Im sure FIA officials are always sufficiently entertained when they go to countries like Abu Dhabi and this will help grease the wheels for them to overlook the need to run a test event.

Interested to see ISC/North One's spin on how this fits with maintaining the heritage of the sport...

[koko0703]

When making the calender, FIA should consider the value of the event itself. Manufactures are in the WRC not for fun but to promote themselves. No offense to Poland or Abu Dahbi but I think the manufactures will prefer to be a winner of Monte Carlo Rally or Rally GB rather than the winner of completely new rally.

[Mirek]

Have they decided any details, or just that it is going to be a 1600T ?

Have the engine builders gotten what they need to start their work ?

11 months, and counting to first 2011 WRC event !!!

Malcolm Wilson told Martin Holmes in Mexico that teams already know the new rulles regarding engine and they just need official FIA stamp on them therefore I think the rulles are finished completely.

[Camelopard]

Grading a road to go rallying on is not rallying in my opinion. Making long-standing A class rallies miss out to go play in a sandbox is unthinkable.

Doesn't look like a sandbox to me.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=32.1381543&lon=35.8455563&z=15&l=0&m=b&v=8

[Sulland]

]Malcolm Wilson told Martin Holmes in Mexico that teams already know the new rulles regarding engine and they just need official FIA stamp on them therefore I think the rulles are finished completely.

Perfect, then I guess we will start seeing testing soon !

[WRCfan]

Abby Dabby probably has very good facilities for the teams and officials. Just compare the Yas Marina F1 track with something like Silverstone. Okay, so it has no history, character or spectators but those things are just not interesting to the world of big money.

Rallying and F1 are in 2 different worlds. Money now controls yes, but think about suitability for F1 vs rallying in regard to Abu Dhabi and Silverstone.

F1 has the Yas marina track which is perfect for F1, but Abu Dhabi needs a decent ROAD to go rallying on, (not desert sandbox) and from what I have heard the desert is going to be graded by a grader for them to race on.

Now try and tell me Abu Dhabi deserves a rally over the likes of NZ, Greece, Finland, UK...It's sad loosing out 'good' rallies to jokes because some rich old men think their slow sponsored driver being there earns them the rights to an event...

[Barreis]

For me every country in the world deserves to have WRC event at least once..

[Mirek]

The thing is that Abu Dhabi is the biggest investor in WRC and from that position they can ask something...

[WRCfan]

Yeah true, it's just sad to see good quality rallies disappear so they can parade the WRC round like a pet. No one wants to see the drivers spend 1/2 the rally digging their cars out of the sand like the Dakar drivers have to.

Common sense has almost totally gone...

[Camelopard]

Yeah true, it's just sad to see good quality rallies disappear so they can parade the WRC round like a pet. No one wants to see the drivers spend 1/2 the rally digging their cars out of the sand like the Dakar drivers have to.

Common sense has almost totally gone...

OK I'll bite, just where has there been a case of where "drivers spend 1/2 the rally digging their cars out of the sand" in recent history.

Of course apart from the much lamented and much missed classic rally in Kenya called the Safari!

I can't let your comment about common sense pass by either! If you hadn't noticed 'money' and the influence it brings, makes the world go round! If you have it you can 'do' things, as much as a lot of people don't like it the middle east have a bucket load of the stuff (along with sand and oil! :) )

Why was the rally stopped in WA? Easy, not enough money to run it! The government of WA in their wisdom decided they weren't going to help continue funding it. Do you think they really cared about the 'history' of that event and how not running it may upset the purists involved in the sport?

Why do you think the new rally Oz is in northern NSW? In part because of the funding given to it by NSW Events Corp. It would make much more sense to run it out of QLD, do you really think the NSW govt is going to help fund it then?

Talking about sand boxes, you sound like you have spat the dummy, thrown all your toys out of the sand box, stormed of home taking your bat and ball with you!!!! :) (said with tongue planted firmly in the cheek!!!!!!)

[WRCfan]

Yeah I have thrown my toys out of the cot over this one, it's no secret. :) After 20 years of following international rallying and watching events which are ideally suited to rallying and some spectacular rallies, I appreciate many of the places the WRC visits and has visited.

Money does talk, yes I acknowledge that, it's got good points such as boosting the profile of our sport, but then it has bad points such as good rallies being pushed aside in favour of 'lining the top brass pockets'. They don't particularly care how unspectacular, suitable the location is, they just see dollar signs.

The Aussie rally had it's issues, ideally QLD you mentioned would be best although NSW is still perfectly adequate to hold a WRC. I just don't see how Abu Dhabi can provide decent roads in order to hold a WRC event which is of the calibre we have, and have seen in the past.

Maybe 20 years of watching A+ rallies has me so much more skeptical about these kind of events, although if they hold a candidate one and it is successful I will welcome it. If they can pull it off and produce a spectacle from a sporting point of view then I will keep quiet but if it is nothing more than sand-wacking in the dunes then myself (and probably almost everyone else) will be more than disappointed.

[Daniel]

OK I'll bite, just where has there been a case of where "drivers spend 1/2 the rally digging their cars out of the sand" in recent history.

Of course apart from the much lamented and much missed classic rally in Kenya called the Safari!

I can't let your comment about common sense pass by either! If you hadn't noticed 'money' and the influence it brings, makes the world go round! If you have it you can 'do' things, as much as a lot of people don't like it the middle east have a bucket load of the stuff (along with sand and oil! :) )

Why was the rally stopped in WA? Easy, not enough money to run it! The government of WA in their wisdom decided they weren't going to help continue funding it. Do you think they really cared about the 'history' of that event and how not running it may upset the purists involved in the sport?

Why do you think the new rally Oz is in northern NSW? In part because of the funding given to it by NSW Events Corp. It would make much more sense to run it out of QLD, do you really think the NSW govt is going to help fund it then?

Talking about sand boxes, you sound like you have spat the dummy, thrown all your toys out of the sand box, stormed of home taking your bat and ball with you!!!! :) (said with tongue planted firmly in the cheek!!!!!!)
He's right though.

The WA decision was a stupid one. It was the big event that we had back then which showed the state off to a world audience. It brought in more money for the state than it cost, that was a fact so they money argument really can't be used.

The Rally Commission is full of 'tards. Sending the WRC to in the middle east is just going to make the WRC less popular. What needs to be done is the make some common sense decisions to improve the show, make the series cheaper to enter and have some STABILITY in the regs but also change things quickly enough. The FIA seems to have been able to both change the regs too many times and also not do anything for a long time :confused: The writing was on the was when Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Skoda and Peugeot pulled out FFS!!!!! Since then WRCars have lost active front and rear diffs, S2000 has come (and is going) and now we think? we've got S1600T? The WRC didn't need things like stupidrally back when it was in decline, it didn't need to lose CORE events like the Monte, Rally Australia, the Safari, San Remo and Corsica.

The FIA effectively ringbarked the WRC and now they're probably going to try everything except just putting it back to where it was 8 or 9 years ago to sort it :rolleyes:

[Daniel]

Yeah I have thrown my toys out of the cot over this one, it's no secret. :) After 20 years of following international rallying and watching events which are ideally suited to rallying and some spectacular rallies, I appreciate many of the places the WRC visits and has visited.

Money does talk, yes I acknowledge that, it's got good points such as boosting the profile of our sport, but then it has bad points such as good rallies being pushed aside in favour of 'lining the top brass pockets'. They don't particularly care how unspectacular, suitable the location is, they just see dollar signs.

The Aussie rally had it's issues, ideally QLD you mentioned would be best although NSW is still perfectly adequate to hold a WRC. I just don't see how Abu Dhabi can provide decent roads in order to hold a WRC event which is of the calibre we have, and have seen in the past.

Maybe 20 years of watching A+ rallies has me so much more skeptical about these kind of events, although if they hold a candidate one and it is successful I will welcome it.

You're too soft dude.

This going to where the money is thing is BS. Sure, go to Japan because that's where the manufacturers are is fine. Oh but wait the FIA mismanaged rallying so badly that bother Japanese manufacturers pulled out :rotflmao: Going to North America, I can understand that, there's a big market there, ditto with China or India. Going to places like Jordan or Abu Dhabi is just moronic because what does Citroen get out of going to a place like that?

For a rally to be in the WRC it should tick one of these boxes
1) Be a real test of man and machine
2) Be somewhere that is going to be of benegit to the manufacturers

Right now in the WRC you have the teams going to places like Jordan where I doubt they sell many cars at all and which don't exactly provide any classic action :rolleyes:

[Ghostwalker]

Mmm, so if the Monte decides to stay with IRC, the WRC will start in Poland....., and end in Abu Dhabi......

Er, RallyGB should end the season - Abu Dhabi hasn't even run a candidate event, yet they seem to be booked in as the final round.

I heard on the radio a couple of days ago that FIA still haven't
decided if Rally Sweden will be in next season.
FIA will take the decision in April.

http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/varmland/sport/index.asp?programID=93&Nyheter=&grupp=3843&artikel=3504073

[WRCfan]

You're too soft dude.

This going to where the money is thing is BS. Sure, go to Japan because that's where the manufacturers are is fine. Oh but wait the FIA mismanaged rallying so badly that bother Japanese manufacturers pulled out :rotflmao: Going to North America, I can understand that, there's a big market there, ditto with China or India. Going to places like Jordan or Abu Dhabi is just moronic because what does Citroen get out of going to a place like that?

For a rally to be in the WRC it should tick one of these boxes
1) Be a real test of man and machine
2) Be somewhere that is going to be of benegit to the manufacturers

Right now in the WRC you have the teams going to places like Jordan where I doubt they sell many cars at all and which don't exactly provide any classic action :rolleyes:

Your right haha, I should just be the ba****d and get rowdy over it. ;)
The reason I give it a chance is because I am pretty sure it would be a joke of an event anyway, and be about as spectacular as the Jordan rally, (I think I remember seeing one tree in the 3 days of footage). In my opinion that rally is the biggest joke to date and I can see Abu Dhabi being exactly the same except for a super modern inner city super special...wont make up for the sandbox stages though...

[Camelopard]

The WA decision was a stupid one. It was the big event that we had back then which showed the state off to a world audience. It brought in more money for the state than it cost, that was a fact so they money argument really can't be used.


But that arguement was used by the WA govt, so it is relevent.

http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/pq/qsearch.nsf/179ca7006fb68a1848256db4002455cd/a613287f096a553748257020007bac77?OpenDocument

quote " The $20 million formula used by the Liberal government in the late 1990s was misleading. This government is being honest. The formula the government is now using reveals that for every dollar spent on Telstra Rally Australia, the direct tourism benefit in Western Australia is $1.60. Using the exact same formula, we can compare Rally Australia with the Hyundai Hopman Cup. For every dollar spent in relation to the Hopman Cup, Western Australia receives $8.50 worth of economic benefit. For every dollar spent at the Australian University Games, Western Australia receives $27 worth of direct economic benefit. For every dollar that the state puts into the Masters Australian Football, it receives $84 of direct spend tourism benefit in Western Australia" unquote


I don't like the fact that the rally stopped in WA, it was a very good event and much better than the event last year in NSW, but ufortunately life is about change and things do change unless you are a hermit or something!


As far as Jordan goes, I have made no secret of the fact that I had a good time there and really enjoyed the event, sure it may not be a "classic" event, yet, but it has very strong government support and it is very popular with the royal family and the local people. You won't get anti motorsport campaigners blocking stages there!

I'm sure you guys have got a blinkered view of the place, it is not saudi arabia, yemen, somalia, it is not a hot bed of muslim extremists, as I have said countless times before open your eyes, good heavens there are even Jordanian women rally drivers!!!!!!!

You can not compare Jordan to Abu Dahbi, they are over 2 thousand kilometres apart and except for the deserts in the east of Jordan, very far from where the rally has run, I would say they are totally unalike. No sand dunes involved in the event in Jordan, it is run on public roads.

You say Jordan was 'boring', did you go there or are you judging you opinion on what you saw on TV?

So in 2 weeks I'll be there, I'm sure I'll be having a great time, (pity rautenbach isn't driving though, :) ).

It will be another addition the the A + rallies I have been too over the last 35 years........ (actually closer to 40 years, but actually that really isn't important)


I did intend going to Rally Japan, however having spoken to several people who have been there and who advised against it I changed my mind. Mickey mouse stages, very difficult to access stages, absurd levels of crowd control (even worse than WA apparently).

I guess it all depends what we want from the WRC, I don't want to sit in front of a TV or computer, I want to go to different places, get close to the action, visit the service parks and experience lif. Otherwise I might as well just stay at home and read a book.

[Daniel]

That's a stupid way of looking at it. You can never measure these things accurately. Rally Australia brought people in from from overseas. Other than the Hopman cup I doubt any of those events really bring in people from overseas.

Then there's also the benefit to dealerships who always tended to get a boost in the sales of Evo's and Impreza's around rally time. Now I'm not suggesting that it's still more beneficial in a cost sense but it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. A lot of the places out in the sticks relied a lot on the revenue created when there were crowds of people out there.

[bluuford]

Yeah, FIA once again showed what they can do with the rules in F1 as well.. I watched maybe 3-4 F1 races last year and yesterday I watched half of the race until I decided to play puzzle with children. Thank you FIA for giving me more time to spend with my children :-)

[Barreis]

That's good for you and your children.. :)

[Camelopard]

That's a stupid way of looking at it. You can never measure these things accurately. Rally Australia brought people in from from overseas. Other than the Hopman cup I doubt any of those events really bring in people from overseas.

Then there's also the benefit to dealerships who always tended to get a boost in the sales of Evo's and Impreza's around rally time. Now I'm not suggesting that it's still more beneficial in a cost sense but it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. A lot of the places out in the sticks relied a lot on the revenue created when there were crowds of people out there.



Daniel, I totally agree with you, I think they made a mistake.

I'm not likely to go over for the Hopman Cup or anything else, even V8 super cars, but that is my decision. But I do know of people who have.

The last time we went, as we were leaving the Langley Park ss with were stopped and asked questions by some people carrying out a survey. At the time I thought this is the end of the road for WA. Questions like how much money we spent, how long we were there for, where we were from and so on. I inflated my expenditure to them as I was fairly sure there was an ulterior motive. But anyway each time we went over we travelled around the area, also going up to Monkey Mia one year, I really doubt we will go back to Perth in the near future.


I missed the comment about "1 tree in 3 days" from wrcfan. OK that may be bad for those at home, but it sure makes a great viewing experience for the spectators on the ground! No pesky trees getting in the way of your view. Spectator spots so large that you don't have to stand 10 deep in fact you can go pretty well where ever you want too, no getting stuck in traffic jams leaving stages therefore missing the next stage, no spectator control nazis yelling at you and blowing whistles in your ear.

[Daniel]

Daniel, I totally agree with you, I think they made a mistake.

I'm not likely to go over for the Hopman Cup or anything else, even V8 super cars, but that is my decision. But I do know of people who have.

The last time we went, as we were leaving the Langley Park ss with were stopped and asked questions by some people carrying out a survey. At the time I thought this is the end of the road for WA. Questions like how much money we spent, how long we were there for, where we were from and so on. I inflated my expenditure to them as I was fairly sure there was an ulterior motive. But anyway each time we went over we travelled around the area, also going up to Monkey Mia one year, I really doubt we will go back to Perth in the near future.


I missed the comment about "1 tree in 3 days" from wrcfan. OK that may be bad for those at home, but it sure makes a great viewing experience for the spectators on the ground! No pesky trees getting in the way of your view. Spectator spots so large that you don't have to stand 10 deep in fact you can go pretty well where ever you want too, no getting stuck in traffic jams leaving stages therefore missing the next stage, no spectator control nazis yelling at you and blowing whistles in your ear.
Camelopard,

Just out of curiosity, how long were you going to Rally Australia and which were your favourite stages?

[Camelopard]

Camelopard,

Just out of curiosity, how long were you going to Rally Australia and which were your favourite stages?

We went 3 times, (we did it independently, not with a tour group), I enjoyed Bunnings as it was easy to walk around and see several spots on the sunday and really the crowds weren't bad.

In all there was only one stage we went to which was crap over the 3 years. It was meant to be an enthusiast's spot and was truely awfull. I'll try and find it if I get a chance, I am meant to be working :) ! It was near a long pipeline down south, not the one near York

Not too fussed with Langley Park as a stage but did like walking around and it was good as we could walk to and from the hotel..

My previous comments about traffic jams and crowds were aimed at other rallies, not Perth.

[AndyRAC]

You're too soft dude.

This going to where the money is thing is BS. Sure, go to Japan because that's where the manufacturers are is fine. Oh but wait the FIA mismanaged rallying so badly that bother Japanese manufacturers pulled out :rotflmao: Going to North America, I can understand that, there's a big market there, ditto with China or India. Going to places like Jordan or Abu Dhabi is just moronic because what does Citroen get out of going to a place like that?

For a rally to be in the WRC it should tick one of these boxes
1) Be a real test of man and machine
2) Be somewhere that is going to be of benefit to the manufacturers

Right now in the WRC you have the teams going to places like Jordan where I doubt they sell many cars at all and which don't exactly provide any classic action :rolleyes:

So New Zealand should be included, as should a 'Safari-type' event. Yes, there are commercial reasons for some events - Rallye Deutschland, for example - a huge market, and also to woo the German Manufacturers. That was 2002 - none have yet joined. NorthOne appear to be ignoring the sport's history/tradition - it will backfire.
I just find the decision with Abu Dhabi almost amazing - I'll guarantee it'll be in - yet no roads are built. If it gets the final round of the season then I will explode.
Finally, there wasn't too much wrong with the WRC 10-15 years ago, however some people thought it could become F1 on Gravel. Huuuge mistake...

[WRCfan]

Cameleopard I agree with the trees not getting in the way haha.

Always nice to have a good view. Also don't waste money coming to Japan, I have done the event and they didn't let spectators into any parts of the stage except the "recommended viewing spots". It was pathetic. Boring parts of the road and most of the stages had vegetation hanging over them making the road narrower than the car. Been once and would not go again anyway.

I suppose I have high expectations for WRC as well seeing as I am a New Zealander and it is a fantastic rally to see live. Although there are all the other great ones I would have loved to seen by now (Corsica, SanRemo, Finland etc...) Some we still have and some are no longer with us....

[Camelopard]

Camelopard,

Just out of curiosity, how long were you going to Rally Australia and which were your favourite stages?

OK, having a look through some of my stuff refreshes the memory. The only stage that really annoyed me and was a waste of time was SS 6 Striling East Reserve- Blackbutt Point Rd on friday 1st Nov. 2002. Parking was along Point rd and the cars were at least 100 metres away and we were not allowed to get any closer. This was meant to be an 'enthusiasts' spot. It didn't help that we got lost getting there!

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-33.1156098&lon=116.0963058&z=16&l=0&m=h

[Barreis]

Guy who should be replaced (not 'cos of rotation)..
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82182

[Daniel]

OK, having a look through some of my stuff refreshes the memory. The only stage that really annoyed me and was a waste of time was SS 6 Striling East Reserve- Blackbutt Point Rd on friday 1st Nov. 2002. Parking was along Point rd and the cars were at least 100 metres away and we were not allowed to get any closer. This was meant to be an 'enthusiasts' spot. It didn't help that we got lost getting there!

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-33.1156098&lon=116.0963058&z=16&l=0&m=h
Yes but which stages did you like ;) My absolute favourite was York Railway because I got to go as media to the finish where the cars get spat out from a corner over a small jump. I also liked the Langford Park shakedown stage as there were loads of places you could go and spectate where there were no marshals

[Iskald]

Guy who should be replaced (not 'cos of rotation)..
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82182

"The championship's new promoter, North One Sport, has not made any provision for rotation on the calendar which was proposed to - and subsequently rejected by - last week's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council."

I find this a very strong signal to North One Sport. The World Motor Sport Council flatly rejected the proposed calendar. History and tradition will count, and WMSC wants to keep rallying as a sport, not a market-driven activity. Lets just see what happens in a month.

[WRCfan]

Good news. Hope more good news follows here.

[Camelopard]

Yes but which stages did you like ;) My absolute favourite was York Railway because I got to go as media to the finish where the cars get spat out from a corner over a small jump. I also liked the Langford Park shakedown stage as there were loads of places you could go and spectate where there were no marshals


Sorry been busy, ie not at work! Enjoyed most stages except the one mentioned previously.

Atkins was good, York railway was interesting to see how fast the cars came down the straight into the tight left hander. Bunnings for the variety and not having to travel around much!

Pity that the now rally oz can't compete stage wise with WA.

[BDunnell]

I am surprised that no knowledgeable rallying enthusiasts from Abu Dhabi have offered us their views on this thread, giving us the benefit of their long-standing enthusiasm for the sport and its heritage. Oh, wait — no I'm not.

[ShiftingGears]

Todt has been excellent in his presidency so far.

[Iskald]

I am surprised that no knowledgeable rallying enthusiasts from Abu Dhabi have offered us their views on this thread, giving us the benefit of their long-standing enthusiasm for the sport and its heritage. Oh, wait — no I'm not.

_________________________
From wrc.com

Abu Dhabi
The largest of the seven emirates that form the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is also home to the country's capital city, Abu Dhabi City. The emirate occupies 80% of the UAE land-mass and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has embarked on a dynamic campaign to develop a world-class infrastructure to establish the emirate as a destination of choice for leisure, sports, culture and business.

The emirate has joined forces with the FIA World Rally Championship as an Official Destination Partner to the series, arguably the world's most dramatic form of motorsport. This fits perfectly with Abu Dhabi's goal of becoming a centre of motorsport excellence in the Middle East, which will also see the emirate host its first Formula One Grand Prix in 2009 on the purpose-built Yas Island complex.

In addition, Abu Dhabi is partner to the reigning World Rally Champion Ford, represented by the BP-Ford World Rally Team from 2007 onwards. The emirate also has a national team competing in the Middle East Rally Championship, Team Abu Dhabi. The team's leading driver, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi leads the 2007 series and also drives the third works Abu Dhabi-branded Ford Focus RS WRC in the BP-Ford World Rally Team.

_________________________________

First Formula 1. Now World Championship rally. If not, the wallet will be closed. It doesn`t matter whether they have any tradition, history or for that matter, any motorsport at all in the country. It doesn`t matter if they actually have to build roads to stage a rally. They`re the main sponsor and somebody have told them that they will get any event they want as long as they continue to pay. Crap deal, don`t you think?

[Barreis]

They want to be promoted.. Why not?

[BDunnell]

First Formula 1. Now World Championship rally. If not, the wallet will be closed. It doesn`t matter whether they have any tradition, history or for that matter, any motorsport at all in the country. It doesn`t matter if they actually have to build roads to stage a rally. They`re the main sponsor and somebody have told them that they will get any event they want as long as they continue to pay. Crap deal, don`t you think?

Even leaving aside the fact that it's a crap deal for the sports involved, it says a lot about the nature of the regimes in these countries that they see this as an appropriate use of revenues. There is abject poverty in many of these Middle Eastern nations as well as what I'd describe as abject wealth.

[Iskald]

They want to be promoted.. Why not?

So you`re quite ok with a WRC-event in Abu Dhabi, then? :confused:

[Mirek]

I presume that stages in Abu Dhabi would look like this one in Kuwait - that's totally flat desert with some bulldozer work on it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnUIU5dod6s

[Barreis]

Sure.. It would be downgrading of that people and country in opossite way..

[Langdale Forest]

]I presume that stages in Abu Dhabi would look like this one in Kuwait - that's totally flat desert with some bulldozer work on it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnUIU5dod6s

Totally flat desert stages that have been bulldozed are boring IMO, and I think many people will agree with me.

BTW, The Safari rally is not boring because it is on off-roads tracks instead of bulldozed ones. :)

[BDunnell]

Totally flat desert stages that have been bulldozed are boring IMO, and I think many people will agree with me.

If they want to hold a rallycross event, then fine. But this is not rallying.

[AndyRAC]

If they want to hold a rallycross event, then fine. But this is not rallying.

True, but money talks - there is a saying: "he who pays the piper........"

I fear AbuDhabi will be on the calendar, and will get the final round. If not, they'll likely pull their support for Ford WRTeam. The sport can't afford for them not to be included - which is another discussion.

[BDunnell]

True, but money talks - there is a saying: "he who pays the piper........"

I fear AbuDhabi will be on the calendar, and will get the final round. If not, they'll likely pull their support for Ford WRTeam. The sport can't afford for them not to be included - which is another discussion.

In many walks of life, this would and should be construed as bribery or blackmail.

[AndyRAC]

In many walks of life, this would and should be construed as bribery or blackmail.

Possibly; however it doesn't mean they would pull out - but I remember reading recently that it might not be wise to 'upset/disappoint' them. We have seen Qatar, Bahrain and now AbuDhabi getting the first/last race in F1/MotoGP.
I do hope Jean Todt is going to be strong with NorthOne - and remind them who runs the sport.

[mjh]

Abu Dhabi has shown an interest and commitment to the sport. So what if they want a crack at running a round? Although personally I think they should still have to run a candidate event and show it meets the standard to be a WRC really, not get an automatic bye.
People talk about how great it would be if Rally Australia went back to WA. Well it was in WA, the state government had no interest in it and dropped it (even though by their own estimates it made a net profit for the state). They had no interest or commitment. Good riddance.
Contrast that with NZ where at the slightest hint that the WRC might not return they manage to mobilise some extra money at short notice to help elevate this years event.

The reality is that any sporting event these days needs money to sustain it. F1 - supposedly the pinnacle of motorsport, and with a huge fanbase around the world - still expects a large chunk of money from event organisers to keep the show on the road. So I would be a little less suspicious of Abu Dhabi's involvement, and a bit more grateful that they are another supporter of the WRC.

[cosmicpanda]

Abu Dhabi has shown an interest and commitment to the sport. So what if they want a crack at running a round? Although personally I think they should still have to run a candidate event and show it meets the standard to be a WRC really, not get an automatic bye.

I agree with this.

[Iskald]

I agree with this.

You (and mjh) must be joking...

[bluuford]

Completely agree with mjh. There is no point to held an event when the locals are not supporting it.
I think the idea to have 14 events calender and 2-3 events that has the worst organization (for example two years in a row, first year they get warning and next year there will be "good bye" if it is not getting better) will be dropped each year and best candidates should be chosen to replace them. Then for sure we have iconic events and also something new every year to surprise the drivers and fans.
That gives some pressure to all organizers to try better.

[BDunnell]

Completely agree with mjh. There is no point to held an event when the locals are not supporting it.

What does 'supporting it' mean, though? The local audience enthusiastically supporting the event, or the government throwing pots of money at it?

[Daniel]

You (and mjh) must be joking...
Cosmicpanda is saying they shouldn't just automatically get in.

[Daniel]

What does 'supporting it' mean, though? The local audience enthusiastically supporting the event, or the government throwing pots of money at it?
I suspect what he's talking about is the fact that the local people don't give a **** about rallying (otherwise they'd already be rallying?) and it's just a "what can we buy with our money" statement by Abu Dhabi.

[WRCfan]

Bingo!!!

[pantealex]

From: fia.com jordania press release

FIA WRC NEWS & INFORMATION

In accordance with the 2010 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, an ASN may apply for homologation of regional components to replace originally homologated parts. The idea is to encourage competitors to enter WRC events and who may want to use locally produced parts provided they are not performance enhancing. Such components may only be used in the FIA region in which the homologation has been granted.

Following the March meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, it was agreed that from 1 January 2011 the WRC cars based on S2000 cars entered in WRC events will be allowed:

To fit a paddle shift gear change system from a single supplier tendered by the FIA.

To use 350 mm brake discs in the front and/or rear with 18” wheels, and a replacement homologated water or air cooled calliper on Tarmac events.

[Langdale Forest]

To fit a paddle shift gear change system from a single supplier tendered by the FIA.



Really, they should go back to the normal road car gearsticks, that would keep costs down. :)