Quote Originally Posted by PLuto View Post
Sorry, but reality is different. Our mechanics were 27 days out of home because of Azores.
27 days?!? Were they lost or is your team based in Siberia?

I’m joking mate, and I’ve no doubts that in some extreme cases it’s a logistical adventure to be at Ypres after Açores, but reality also shows that Mr. Penasse words about not being possible to enter both events are false, as the majority of the crews that were in Açores also were at Ypres: Lukyanuk, Tlustak, Botka, Orsak, Pieniazek, Ingram, Griebel, Gryazin, Broz, Tannert, Cid, Gago and Tokee. Besides, from the other ERC regulars that were in Açores (Katjo, Sirmacis, Jeets, Costerano, Chuchala, Alonso, Rockland and Pita), most of them never planned to be at Ypres.

For sure there’s room for calendar adjustments and even some changes (we all miss an event in Italy or France and probably the overall number of events could be reduced) but this travel matters shouldn’t be an issue for an organizer to complain. And being always remembering IRC golden era or moaning about not having manus teams it’s also a waste of time. Like Jacko wrote a couple of posts ago, we should be optimistic on ERC’s future. It can be the perfect step up into WRC for young drivers and a fantastic challenge for European top privateer rally teams and drivers.