Quote Originally Posted by AndyRAC
I have a feeling that the Monte may well not come back to the WRC unless the restrictions are lifted. Next year they have an interesting route which isn't 'WRC - suitable'. What will happen next? A WRC without the Monte? NASCAR without Daytona, F1 without Monaco - just doesn't happen, but in Rallying it does.
I think that the FIA would allow the route in 2010, since by then they're supposed to have more flexible rules. They might ask the Monte organisers to make it a bit longer.

Martin Holmes in GPWEEK, incidentally, has an interesting editorial discussing the need for rallies like Safari and Monte.

Quote Originally Posted by Tomi
I would throw out all the events that dont attract spectators, japan, jordan would be the first to go on my list also corsica.
But the TV audience is much bigger than the spectating audience, and the variety that these countries add is good on TV. Admittedly the TV coverage is often bad and doesn't always include the interesting aspects of the rally we hear about in the live coverage - for example in the 2006 Rally of Turkey there was a thick covering of hail on a stage that Atko said was incredible, but we didn't get to see it.