That is spot-on. The WRC is for the manufacturers and sponsors nowadays and has gone increasingly this way over the years and even more so since the 2017- cars came in.

New countries and rallies have to beg to join in and do whatever the promoter says. But this is the same even for the classic events.

The costs of the latest-spec cars have also killed off the local entry in the top class compared to just a decade ago. No 'local hero' fighting the WRC big boys reduces the attraction of WRC to the general public in that country.