2022 WRC News & Rumours

[Tom K]

You still understand it wrong. If Toksport pays the 10 000 entry fee, they can use that to run many drivers. It's not up to the drivers to pay that entry fee unless there's absolutely no other vacancies in other teams. And even in that case you could ask a friend to join you in your "team" to split that expense.

It's also an attraction for teams. "Rent a Rally2 car from us, we are one of the few teams in WRC2 this season".

I think Chris Ingram is driving for Toksport this year and the Montre entry list had lots of errors.

Difficult to say what a guy like Kajetanowicz would do. He probably has been in his private team for a long time, but will he enter that now?

It's another question how much motivation there is for guys who fought for WRC3 title but were typically P3-P6 in RC2, since now they will be against the WRC2 top guys. Maybe they are now more interested in ERC instead?

Finally, I might be wrong but this is how I have interpreted the rules.

Antti, with all due respect...

I know what are or were rules in WRC 2 when it was mainly for Teams. They merged championships where we had 6-10 cars (WRC 2) and 15-23 cars (WRC 3) so I do not know why you look at rules only through the prism of the strongest team.

1) the rules does not clarify if Toksport can enter more than 2 cars per event: "must enter and start with two (2) cars". Maybe they could rotate, Mikkelsen + Ingram in Monte, Mikkelsen + Gryazin in Sweden etc, but I do not see it possible...

2) Toksport will pay this 10k euro and can split it between drivers. But the rule says now: "In order to score points in the WRC2 Championship for
Teams supported by a Manufacturer or independent, Drivers,
Co-Drivers, Junior, Master and Teams must register with the
FIA before the closing date of entries of the first rally entered.
Registration in the WRC2 Championships is set at €100,000
for teams with the Manufacturer name in the title or €10,000
for an independent team. Any manufacturer registered as per
Art. 5.2 does not need to pay the individual WRC2 Championship fee for Manufacturers. Registration for the WRC2 Open
Championship, set at €3,000, must be made in the name
of a driver holding a current and valid competitor’s licence
Co-drivers are not required to register"

So if you are right, Toksport will pay entry fee for Teams, but still Mikkelsen, Bulacia, Ingram or any other need to pay 3k euro for WRC 2 Open. If you think they don't need to pay 3k euro, tell me for who these 3k euro are.

3) "And even in that case you could ask a friend to join you in your "team" to split that expense." - I will treat it like o joke, cause we are talking about World Rally Championship, not amateur rally where you can ask your friend "let's take one bigger lorry, transport will be cheaper per car".
How would they do that? They are rivals and will make one team? "Friendzone Rally Team" If they have big sponsors, both of them would like to put it into name of the team.

It could work only in pairing like Gryazin - Brazzoli. One was top, and second was gentleman driver...

4) I do not think guys from P3-P6 in RC2 should be send to ERC... Ingram (1x champion) and Kajetanowicz (3x) for sure will be interested in going to ERC again... And being P3-P6 in RC2 it's not that bad.

Let me clarify - I do not know if it is mistake or not (like Pluto said) and you are right. But if you are, please don't tell me it's OK, because Toksport can this or that...