The Rally of Poland was only run as a round of the WRC in 2009 and has not been a part of the WRC since. SlowSon's post implied that the new rallies would be introduced at the expense of European rallies that had long been a part of the calendar. But of all the European rounds, only two - Corsica and Sanremo - have any real WRC history to them, but they have at least been replaced by other French and Italian rounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertS
So that disqualifies Brazil - it doesn't dis-count Russia, India or China.Quote:
Originally Posted by sollitt
In the case of Russia, they have Evgeny Novikov in an M-Sport Fiesta, and have had plenty of other drivers scattered through the junior categories (or at least they did last year). There are also Russians in other internationally-accredited championships, like Vitaly Petrov in Formula 1, Alexy Dudkalo in the WTCC, Daniil Kvyat in Formula Renault, and plenty of other drivers. Motorsport is big in Russia. This year, the GT World Series is racing at Moscow Raceway. In 2014, there will be a Russian Grand Prix. The IRC also held a round in Russia from 2007 and 2009. And I believe MotoGP is looking at going there, too. Motorsport is undergoing a resurgence in Russia, so it makes sense to have a rally there.
Or look at India. They're experiencing a motorsport boom, too. Perhaps not on the same level as Russia, but they are expanding out. And a rally in India is not without precedent - they have had a national rally championship going for the past twenty-three years. Like Russia, India is a country that makes sense for a rally.
