WRC Promoter has collated a raft of concepts during the last three months to enhance the championship, having confronted criticism from drivers involved by the WRC’s attraction and perceived lack of course.
These proposals are set to be mentioned by the WRC Fee on Friday to resolve which adjustments might be voted on by the FIA to be included at occasions subsequent yr.
As beforehand reported, condensing occasions, adjustments to Sunday’s format, a doable restructuring of the factors system, extra distant companies and a transfer away from a central service park are believed to be up for dialogue.
Excessive on the WRC drivers’ want record is a transfer to lower the size of highway sections in comparison with the quantity of stage kilometres accomplished at rallies.
At some occasions, crews will spend 12 hours on the highway between leaving and returning to service park to finish 140 kilometres of aggressive phases.
“The largest factor for me is how lengthy days are for what number of stage kilometres we do,” Toyota’s Elfyn Evans informed Autosport when requested what adjustments he wish to see sooner or later. There may be actually no sense on this.
“It means we have now barely any time to do something in the course of the rally week but there are at all times complaints that we [the drivers] do not have time, so there’s a clear reply there someplace.
“We appear to driving the size and breadth of the nations that we’re going to when there are three phases that may be huddled collectively in a compact approach.
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photograph by: Toyota Racing
“It felt generally we’re driving for the sake of driving and that’s one thing that must be addressed rapidly.”
These ideas have been echoed by eight-time world champion and Evans’ Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who feels a extra compact schedule would assist followers observe the occasion extra carefully.
“Now we have mentioned this many occasions between drivers and the promoter and all people and we simply hope sooner or later there might be some adjustments and we’re listened too,” Ogier informed Autosport.
“We’re all collectively saying that the itinerary that we’re doing isn’t proper.
“More often than not we’re spending greater than 12 hours within the automobile every single day to generally do 100 kilometres of phases or generally much less.
“The opening day of Germany [Central European Rally] we’re going to be doing 300 kilometres for simply over 10 kilometres of phases, which is ridiculous.
“I feel you will need to make some actual change on that in order that we have now in our eyes a extra compact rally with perhaps a smaller time window.
“We are able to nonetheless placed on an important present over 48 hours with 300 kilometres as a substitute of a great deal of hours on a highway part. In order that’s one of many areas the place I feel we have to enhance and put some extra depth into the race and permit the general public to observe us a bit extra carefully.”