This would be the end of the WRC — the form of world motorsport in which I first became interested — for me, too. Such a format would mean it ceased any longer to be 'rallying'. Easy for an aficionado to say, I know, but that's the way it is, without any over-reaction.

Where did it go so wrong? I fundamentally believe the reason lies in the way the FIA's chosen technical regulations have rendered the WRC's top-level cars out of the financial reach of national/local championships. It has reduced the talent pool of drivers and the amount of meaningful rallying available to spectators. As a result, the WRC suffers. With the greatest of respect to all involved, why would one wish to go and see, let alone watch on TV, a championship that bears little relation to the top level of the sport? The WRC was always strongest when there were strong national/regional series of quality running in parallel. The one time there existed a technical formula below the top WRC level that people found appealing, namely the Formula 2 rules of the mid-late-1990s, the FIA effectively canned it.

As for the supposed rise of rallycross, there's not much evidence of it yet. Rallycross used to be really big in the UK, thanks in no small part to BBC coverage — as quick-fire Saturday/Sunday-afternoon TV entertainment, with commentary from Murray Walker to match, it was ideal. In no way has the sport returned to those levels of popularity yet, at least in Britain. For it to do so, it requires mainstream, prime-time TV coverage. That's not about to happen. Even the British Touring Car Championship, which may not be to the taste of all but is thriving at present, can only be found on what amounts to a minority (albeit national, free-to-air) channel.

I see that someone, quite rightly, has mentioned above the possibility of Jean Todt intervening. I wouldn't bet on it. For all his talk, and the supposed benefits of his more 'hands-off' approach, can anyone name a single achievement of his time as FIA President?