Silly Season 2026

[WRCStan]

What was your answer / alternative ?

Rally1 was too expensive. Hyundai were going to leave. M-Sport were struggling with only young pay drivers. Toyota cant carry the sport alone.

Rovanpera is leaving because he wants to race. And Tanak (he says) for personal reasons. Some new stars will emerge, they always have.

It's clear to me that a tour of paid elites isn't popular with many fans who say 'go to Rally2 and the elites will have to face larger fields and local privateers'. I and a small bunch of others have said for many years that this is the best way to drive the elites out of the sport. We lost 2 WDCs in the last weeks and there was the suggestion of the 8/9 timer too. That's all that was behind that post.

No need for us to firmly fix Tanak retiring with a move to Rally2 either, my post wasn't about tech specs, costs etc. And he may even return for WRC2027. If your question was how to retain the elites and continue as-was, then we're in the wrong thread.