You would be wrong to think that Formula 1 is the only major motorsport championship tinkering with its format in order to stay ‘relevant’ and interesting in the face of domination from one team. The FIA World Rally Championship has, since 2004, been primarily about one star driver from one team dominating proceedings with near mechanical precison and with little in the way of a serious challenge.
The global economic crisis of 2008 played its part in top drivers not being able to even get a WRC drive due to its dwindling entry list, although things promise to be looking up with Hyundai committed for now and Toyota set to return in 2017.
Amidst this debate over how to spice things up have been changes like the running order at events being decided by championship standings. A development that has not been to defending world champion Sebastien Ogier’s liking.
Now it’s Volkswagen WRC boss Jost Capito, who has been vocal about another change, tried this time by organisers of the Rally Italy, to inject an element of endurance so as to make WRC events harken back to what it perceived to be a golden period in its existence.
With some days featuring transport sections in excess of 550 km, drivers were made to push for hours on end simply to make it from one service area to another.
Organisers hailed the move as part of creating an event akin to the Safari Rally in Kenya, albeit in Italy with lots of smooth tarmac.
The debate has even forced former WRC runner-up and current manager of the championship for the FIA, Michelle Mouton, to join and give her opinion on what direction rallying at the highest level should be taking.
Citing Rally Italy as the anomaly on a calendar that largely features events just over 300 km in total length (special stages plus transport), Mouton felt that wanting compact events would make the WRC more like championships that are supposed to be further down on the rallying pecking order.
It could be the reason why the official WRC website also published news that figures like Capito may not be too happy to read.
It was revealed that the season-ending Wales Rally GB route would feature ‘endurance to the fore’, with 130 km to be run without any service on Friday and a 5 am start to proceedings on Saturday with 109 km of stages with no service, followed by 33 km run in darkness.
Certainly different from the WRC era of the late nineties and noughties of flat out stages but hopefully just as riveting for fans to follow.
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