[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[AnttiL]

I see 3 options:
- It has already been decided he will drive the WRC car in Rally Finnland and this is for him to get used to it

- He is a candidate and his performance/feedback from this rally will decide. (but I don't see anyone to compare with, he should beat Katsuta easily)

- This is for testing/data before homologating the new upgrades they plan before Finland

Last point can clearly also be combined with first two.

Also remember Sporting Regulations 66.4.4

For Manufacturers, 7 additional test days may be allocated to each team in addition to Art. 66.4.2.
These additional days will only be applicable to guest drivers who have not been nominated to score points
up to the requested testing date in the Manufacturers Championship in the previous or current year. Teams
should advise the FIA of any guest drivers’ test, by email, five days in advance, with copy to all other
registered teams (no test form required). The test must comply with articles 66.1 and 66.2.

By using Huttunen, they gain more testing days (although competing does not reduce testing days, but most likely he'll do also testing in addition to the events).

Toyota can also now use Hänninen as a "guest" driver.

[AnttiL]

A rally in NI would definitely be a tarmac event which might suit for next year if Germany and Corsica go

There's also rumors of Catalunya becoming an all tarmac event and Japan will be a tarmac rally.

[PLuto]

There's also rumors of Catalunya becoming an all tarmac event and Japan will be a tarmac rally.

I remember Catalunya on tarmac around Lloret and it was really great.

[er88]

There's also rumors of Catalunya becoming an all tarmac event and Japan will be a tarmac rally.

Catalunya has to be now imo, we need more tarmac. I like the idea of a mixed event but not when there's maybe only 2 full tarmac events in the championship. It would be a shame to lose Germany over Sardinia

[Mirek]

I think that to have a mixed event is great - if it's a real mixed event (not what Catalunya is now).

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Funding is the big issue for Rally GB. It's basically only because of backing from the Welsh Govt (Visit Wales) that the rally has continued there for so long.

Parts of England and Scotland have the forests, and N.Ireland has the roads, but do their regions have enough interest in rallying to provide the money to make it happen ?

N.Ireland certainly has the interest, but as seen with the Circuit of Ireland event, it cant always find the funding to keep it running.

PS. As for the type of rally, it would really have to be tarmac-only in N.I.

[Mirek]

Eddie it's big difference to seak money for World-level event (no matter the sport) and anything more local/regional. You can't automatically compare that. Of course I don't know the state of things in Northern Ireland but I can imagine that it can be actually easier to fund a big world event than anything smaller.

[Allez Andruet]

Eddie it's big difference to seak money for World-level event (no matter the sport) and anything more local/regional. You can't automatically compare that. Of course I don't know the state of things in Northern Ireland but I can imagine that it can be actually easier to fund a big world event than anything smaller.

I would somewhat disagree about the ease of securing proper funding. Sure it's more attractive to be part (as a sponsor) of a truly global event than some local happening, but the size of the investment is also something else, which narrows the pool of potential partners quite a lot.

[tommeke_B]

Seeing the number of organizers who are interested to join the WRC calendar, the return on investment must be quite good at the moment.

[Japé]

It would be extremely sad if Corsica and Germany would be dropped from calendar permanently. Both are spectacular rallies, Corsica has multiple nice route options - this year e.g. SS7 north from Bastia was really nice. Also Germany in vineyards is really special. For multiple reasons WRC should have more tarmac rallies overall. Good that Japan is coming in. Even Australia has a lot of nice mountain tarmac roads e.g. near to Brisbane, etc. Now WRC has way too many gravel rallies. Maybe it would be time to bring back the idea of rotating rallies every season in different countries and local areas, instead of killing the WRC spirit completely from some countries.