Plans by WRC Promoter GmbH to expand the championship calendar have not found favour among manufacturers contesting the series. All four main teams are against starting a phased increase back to a total of 16 events, last seen in 2007. Some are even requesting a reduction in the number of rallies.
WRCP hopes to achieve its aim within five years. Boss Oliver Ciesla laid out his plans but added that changes would only come if the manufacturers agreed with them. He clearly understood that the question of budgets would be in the forefront of team thinking and pointed out that three extra events would bring added value to offset increased costs.
But Hyundai team manager Alain Penasse was quick to caution.
"We tried running 16 rallies before," he said. "It worked, it’s possible. But that was 10 years ago, when the teams had a lot more money than we have now. I think 14 is probably the right number and for next year, New Zealand is the only option. We know New Zealand can run at the WRC level. OK, it’s a small market, but this doesn’t matter: the drivers love the roads and the scenery will mean great pictures for TV.
"I always said that if we get the promotion right then these rallies can be huge on the internet and it doesn’t matter about the size of the market,” he added. “There’s some talk about Turkey still, but we all know about the political instability there and then there’s this idea about Croatia. I’m not sure where that dream came from.
"We were told the promoter wanted to go outside of Europe for the next round and this totally contradicts that. I don’t know so much about Croatia, but I do remember Juho Hänninen meeting three cars coming in the opposite direction on one stage!"
It is Toyota that seemingly wants a reduction to as few as 10 rallies in coming seasons, while the series’ privateer outfit M-Sport is also wary of the cost implications.
“Purely because of our financial situation, an increase in the number of rallies doesn’t suit us,” M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said. “That might well change if Ford came back in or we got a sponsor and I would be interested to look at proposals from events offering good support.”
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