Wales Rally GB future, a clearer view on what’s going on

Wales Rally GB is in jeopardy and the official WRC website hasn’t even reported on it yet.

All the other stories out there are cram packed full of way too much information and I don’t know about you but I’m confused!

So here’s Remote:Service’s understanding on the matter.

As I’m sure it did for you it came as a bit of a shock for me when last week the Welsh Assembly Government announced it was to end it’s £2.2million a year sponsorship for Wales Rally GB…..but when I thought about it a bit more, although it is unfair, it does kind of make sense.

We all know that the FIA have implemented this daft rotational system – some rallies are in the calendar, some rallies are out and this means that WRGB doens’t have official WRC status in 2010.

In 2006 when the Welsh Assembly agreed to support WRGB until 2011 this rotational system wasn’t in place. Every WRGB until 2011 had WRC status but that is no longer the case so surely they have every right to pull the plug.

I’m no solicitor but surely this denotes a bit of a change in the original contract – an event minus WRC status isn’t the type of event the Welsh Assembly agreed to sponsor is it?

As I mentioned in last week’s Rally Round-up the chief excutive of the company which runs WRGB, International Motor Sports Ltd’s Andrew Coe is now planning to sue the Welsh Assembly Government for breach of contract when surely he should be taking the matter up with the FIA.

The funny thing is the 2010 calendar hasn’t even been finalised yet and won’t be until it’s approved by the World Motor Sports Council later this year – WRGB might still play a part in 2010!

As I said I’m far from being a solicitor and I don’t know the ins and outs of this contract so Remote:Service is not taking any sides….I just think it’s important that fans are kept in the loop about what’s going on with one of the most popular events in the series.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Rally round-up 13th April to 19th April

• The future of this year’s Wales Rally GB is in doubt after the Welsh Assembly Government withdrew it’s £2.2million a year funding. WRGB is not an actual WRC event in 2010 and the government told the BBC the rally without WRC status was not the type of event it was willing to sponsor. The contract was due to last until 2011 and WRGB Chief Organiser and Chief Executive of International Motor Sports ltd Andrew Coe now plans to sue for breach of contract.
• With just a few days until Rally Argentina the countdown has begun. The entry list list boasts 59 registered crews but only ten of these are World Rally Championship cars, a poor showing. See here for more details.
• J-WRC driver Michal Kosciuszko is heading to Argentina looking to move into the lead of the championship. He’s going into the event level on points with Martin Prokop but only three cars have been entered in the J-WRC category so it shouldn’t be too hard a task for him….Three cars, I know, how pants is that?
• Details of Rally Russia, the fifth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge have been revealed over on Crash.net. The event is due to take place between the 9-11 July and stages are already being prepared. Last year some drivers complained stages were too demanding on cars so organisers are clearly getting ready early this time.
• Somehow Conrad Rautenbach has landed a drive in the French PH Sport operations. Crash.net have reported that the former African champion who now drives for the Citroen Junior Team will compete in the IRC Sata Rally Acores next month. Driving a Peugeot 207 this will be his IRC debut and the first time he has driven a S2000 car competitively. Conrad’s plan is to gain experience of S2000 machinary, well, we all know that will depends on how long he can keep the car on the road and past results how he’s not that good at that at all.
• Fans on Rallyforum are voicing concern over the future of the Tour de Course, one of the most famous rounds on the WRC calendar. The reports aren’t confirmed yet but like the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire.

WRC v F1 Round 3

• There aren’t any run off areas in rallying. If you’re in Monte Carlo you’ve got a rock face on one side of you and a sheer cliff dropping hundreds of feet, no margin for error there then.

Anyone remember this?

Or even better, this?

There’s no tyre walls to catch you in rallying, dangerous it is but it all adds to the excitement.

• Rally fans are real fans – we don’t sit in a grandstand but in a forest. Flowing alcohol, air horns, flags of every nation, sleeping under the stars, mud galore, camp fires, portaloos, hot dogs, beef burgers, the roar of a car coming out of the mist. It’s what we rally fans crave, ok well, maybe not the portaloos but you get the gist of it.

Click here to see rally fans in action, Wales Rally GB 2008.