Kris Meeke leaves WRC

Lack of support happens everywhere, and be sure that being in Europe is a great advantage!!
For southamericans, your first step is to go to Europe, and that alone requires a lot of money, just for being in same conditions that a begginer in Europe.

I guess that doing PWRC is a good option, if there are some other top competitors in it.
Latvala is confimed, Aigner (not top, I know) also, Pozzo, Ligato, Arai PG Andersson?
If we have good and many, recognized drivers there, WRC teams would be looking for drivers performances there.
Rowe was champon but of a shy field of GR N drivers.

It also brings trainning in WRC rallies.

A criminal waste of talent.Pity he wasnt Spanish or Norweigan then it would be a completely different story.

To be honest, as much as I think the guy deserves a WRC drive, I cant help thinking he really damaged his chances by throwing away the lead/championship on day 2 of WRGB, with over a minute in hand...

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Originally Posted by turves

To be honest, as much as I think the guy deserves a WRC drive, I cant help thinking he really damaged his chances by throwing away the lead/championship on day 2 of WRGB, with over a minute in hand...

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OK, if he had won the rally, what would have changed? Would Kronos suddenly drop their price, not pay a few mechanics? It makes no difference what these young guys do.

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Originally Posted by Buzz Lightyear

OK, if he had won the rally, what would have changed?

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Nothing probably, but if he'd won the title wouldnt it have looked better when looking for a sponsor to have 2007 Junior World Rally Champion on his C.V?

I'd just like to add that I dont know whether he would've won the championship had he won in Wales, I havent done the Maths!

Regarding the PWRC, it hasnt done Latvala any harm! The PWRC surely led to his WRGB drive, in which I would say he certainly turned a few heads, and a couple more results like that next year and it could well lead to a full WRC programme.

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Originally Posted by sal

A criminal waste of talent.Pity he wasnt Spanish or Norweigan then it would be a completely different story.

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I agree... it's a waste of talent for sure.
Take no offense, but why you say spanish?. People struggle here to get sponsorship aswell.
Pons has looooots of mony himself (or family) and Sordo was just lucky his father knows the most important bank owner in Spain...
Telefonica days are long gone... at least in rallying.

Not meant to be a slur on the Spanish or Norweigans at all, far from it. I know the state of the Spanish series from reading Todo Rallyes magazine. What i meant is that there seems to be people interested in helping drivers in those countries develop be it through financial backing in some cases or lobbying teams to give thier guys seats. In the UK the RACMSA has paid lip service to developing drivers and the Rally Elite programme helps but it stops well short of putting money in to help buy seats. We've had two PWRC champions and a couple of drivers Meeke and Wilkes who can rightly be counted as in the top few young drivers in the world and what will we have in 07? Zero presence apart from Matt Wilson who is some way off reaching the top level. And then as a country we wonder why rallying has an all time low profile compared to the heady days of the late 90s with Mcrae and Burns.

If Kris ends up doing the BRC in 07 it will be a complete tragedy for him.

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Originally Posted by sal

Not meant to be a slur on the Spanish or Norweigans at all, far from it. I know the state of the Spanish series from reading Todo Rallyes magazine. What i meant is that there seems to be people interested in helping drivers in those countries develop be it through financial backing in some cases or lobbying teams to give thier guys seats. In the UK the RACMSA has paid lip service to developing drivers and the Rally Elite programme helps but it stops well short of putting money in to help buy seats. We've had two PWRC champions and a couple of drivers Meeke and Wilkes who can rightly be counted as in the top few young drivers in the world and what will we have in 07? Zero presence apart from Matt Wilson who is some way off reaching the top level. And then as a country we wonder why rallying has an all time low profile compared to the heady days of the late 90s with Mcrae and Burns.

If Kris ends up doing the BRC in 07 it will be a complete tragedy for him.

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Yes true, maybe your MSA or what is it, should put up somekind of risk fund, from where talented drivers could loan "risk money", witch they would pay back if they ever become payed drivers, it would be in principe the same as having a manager, only in this case it would be MSA who takes the risk not the manager.
The drivers could be picked based on international results in WRC events.

Any way i think you should soon get somekind of system how to get the guys sponsored, driving rally in ERC or simular pussy series takes serious drivers nowhere.

Tomi, you have to live over here to understand that there isn't a hope in hell of the MSA giving or lending money to aspiring talented young Rally drivers. They would say that is not what they are here for, the money they have is from competition license holders, they might not like their money going to Rally drivers. They would also say that what they are here for is to provide support, but not financial, I'm afraid.
I do think your idea is quite a good one, but I can't see it happening, though I maybe wrong.