[WRC] News & rumours (part II)

That might explain a lot. My best friend is Russian, and I have never been more terrified than when I am in her car while she is driving.

South Africa could be absolutely amazing. Looking forward to it.

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Originally Posted by Kielder

South Africa will be included in the 2013 calendar instead of NZ or Greece. Both of them will be out if Brazil also joins the WRC. Doubts about Italian event: Rali de Portugal mantém se no calendário do WRC - Autosport.pt

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So if Brazil joins we could have a 10 round calendar? I hope this does not happen.

Isn't the RSA still a bit unstable for a WRC event? Things got pretty hot in Kenya during the 2002 event...

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Originally Posted by Red bull

Money talks bull**** walks.

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I'm interpreting this as meaning you're against the idea of South Africa or Brazil joining the calendar.

If so, would you care to explain why you feel that way? I've never understood this aversion to the calendar expanding.

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Originally Posted by Plan9

So if Brazil joins we could have a 10 round calendar? I hope this does not happen.

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No, it means that the number of events will remain set at 13, and any new event will replace an existing one. South Africa would replace New Zealand or Greece. If South Africa and Brazil both join the calendar, they will replace New Zealand and Greece.

In order for the calendar to be scaled back to 10 rounds, three existing rallies would need to be cut before South Africa or Brazil could join. And as far as I know, there are no plans for this. The manufacturers seem pretty happy with the number of rounds, and the FIA is pushing for longer overall rallies. I think that's the change we're most likely to see in 2013, which I think can only be a good thing. Now they just need to get rid of the practice of repeating stages. A rally should be ~20 unique stages run once, not ten stages run twice.

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Originally Posted by Plan9

Isn't the RSA still a bit unstable for a WRC event? Things got pretty hot in Kenya during the 2002 event...

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That rally in Kenya was a decade ago, and in a totally different country.

Ahh - Can't believe there could be no Aus or NZ round! Sucks big time for us in the Oceania region

[quote="Prisoner Monkeys"]I'm interpreting this as meaning you're against the idea of South Africa or Brazil joining the calendar.

If so, would you care to explain why you feel that way? I've never understood this aversion to the calendar expanding.
Am not against any country hosting the rally,just what has South africa got to offer the wrc more than kenya apart from lots of money?Most of the rally stages are held in private ranches or farmlands with little or no access to the locals as seen in most South africa championship rallies :D

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Originally Posted by Red bull

Am not against any country hosting the rally,just what has South africa got to offer the wrc more than kenya apart from lots of money?

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Interest. I haven't heard anything from anyone in Kenya saying "we need to be a part of the WRC again". The South Africans are interested in being a part of the WRC. The Kenyans aren't.

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Originally Posted by 6789

Ahh - Can't believe there could be no Aus or NZ round! Sucks big time for us in the Oceania region

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I'd say Greece is more likely to go. Financially, they're in serious trouble. And the organisers in Coffs Harbour have said that they would be interested in seeing Rally Australia return to a yearly round.

Likewise, Jean Todt has said he doesn't see much differentiating France and Germany. Strasbourg and Trier aren't that far from on another, and both rallies are tarmac events. Sure, there are nuances in the surfaces, but it might be easier to just hold one of them. Unless they can get Rally France back to Corsica.

It's also entirely plausible that the manufacturers might be okay with 14 rounds instead of 13. It would give them one extra round to catch Loeb (if he is still rallying next year) ...

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Originally Posted by tommeke_B

For me there's a big question about events like Brazil or South-Africa also, they have no experience with organizing such big rally-events, will the organisation be on the level that a WRC-organization should have?

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I guess that's what the candidate events are for. To test their suitability.

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Originally Posted by tommeke_B

Is it because the economy in the country isn't doing too well that the organisation should be struggling also? Or do you know more than I do? Maybe some Greek forum members can explain? It's the first thing I hear about financial problems for the organisation.

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It largely depends on where the money for the rally is coming from. But with Greece needing bail-outs from Germany, there is likely to be a lot of political pressure for fiscal responsibility, which will inevitably lead to the question of "Do we really need the rally?".

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Originally Posted by Prisoner Monkeys

It largely depends on where the money for the rally is coming from. But with Greece needing bail-outs from Germany, there is likely to be a lot of political pressure for fiscal responsibility, which will inevitably lead to the question of "Do we really need the rally?".

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Off course we need the rally. The economic crisis doesn't mean that we should stop doing historical events like the Acropolis Rally (58 years of history) , the Classic Marathon etc... With these events, we boost our economy (tourism). The problem for us is not the Acropolis Rally.