FIA president Max Mosley has said that in order for the world rally championship to become more credible it will need to incorporate more events in addition to the current 16.
FIA president Max Mosley has said that the in order for the world rally championship to become more credible it will need to incorporate more events in addition to the current 16.
This week, Mosley said that a decision about the inclusion of Mexico and Japan on the Rally calendar had to be done quickly.
“Adding Japan and Mexico makes it a more credible world championship, probably for the first time as far as the geography is concerned,” said Mosley.
“I think quite rightly that we should have done it and I really believe that should be a top priority. Japan after all is the second biggest economy in the world, and it’s one of the three great car manufacturer areas. Not to have a world championship rally in Japan, if you can have one, is clearly wrong. Just pottering about in Europe is not the way to have a world championship,” he said.
The WRC was expanded to 16 rounds this year, which proved to be an unpopular move, with Skoda and Hyundai opting out and Ford strongly considering doing the same, though eventually deciding to continue the season.
“Probably in the medium to long term, we are likely to see a greater spread of rallies and at the moment that’s been achieved by increasing the number,” Mosley said. “In the future, if we want to be more spread out around the world, we are going to have to re-distribute at some point.
“A budget for a world championship rally is several million euros and there are some that may have financial problems. With some rallies, the promoters are starting to question whether they are viable.”