So there are 1.5 billion, or thereabouts, people in China, spread over the 3rd largest country by area. Agreed, if even a small percentage of that population has interest in motorsport that's still a large number, but how does that translate to a potential event in one small pocket of a huge country?

And what's better for the manufactuers to sell cars? Look, we won this event in your country.... buy our VW Lavida, which has very little tangible link with our Polo R WRC. Or would it be better to have the best rallies available (providing there was promotor interest and sufficient funding for such events) so they could say we won the toughest rally of the year while the others didn't get close to us.

I find it hard to imagine and event with an eager promotor and plenty of local and national funding like Wales would drop off the calendar anyway, more likely Tour de Corse won't have FFSA backing after this year to continue as a WRC level event.