Rally Oz not part of '07 WRC

[Bede]

From WRC.com
http://www.wrc.com/page/News/Breakin...914368,00.html

Originally Posted by WRC.com

Calendars for two years
The FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) met today in Barcelona and following the meeting, announced the calendars for the 2007 and the 2008 FIA World Rally Championships.

The 2007 calendar is as previously published, with the exception that Rally de France - Tour de Corse and Rallye de Espana have swapped time slots. It still contains Norway, Portugal and Ireland, at the expense of Cyprus, Turkey and Australia.

The 2008 calendar has also been announced, a move designed as part of the FIA's long-term planning and strategy for developing the sport. It sees the three Candidate events which were introduced for 2007, Norway, Portugal and Ireland removed from the calendar, along with Mexico. They are replaced by Australia and Turkey, which make their return, the Jordan Rally which joins for the first time and either Cyprus, South Africa or Poland, the final choice subject to each being inspected by the FIA in 2007.

The FIA also stated that future Candidate events must first be part of an FIA Regional Championship.

The meeting also confirmed both the Production car World Rally Championship and the junior division of the WRC.

The P-WRC includes the rallies being held in Sweden, Mexico, Argentina, Greece, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland and GB. As in previous years, drivers choose six of the eight events as scoring rounds. The junior division comprises the events in Norway, Portugal, Sardinia, Finland, Germany, Spain and Corsica, with six of the seven events being chosen by competitors. Rally Monte Carlo doesn't feature in either category.

The Commission also announced that a tender would be issued for a single tyre manufacturer to supply all World Rally Car entered in the 2008 championship.

2007 FIA World Rally Championship

19-21 January MC Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
09-11 February S Swedish Rally (P)
16-18 February N Rally Norway (J)
09-11 March MEX Rally Mexico (P)
30 March-01 April P Rally de Portugal (J)
04-06 May RA Rally Argentina (P)
18-20 May I Rally Italia-Sardinia (J)
01-03 June GR Acropolis Rally of Greece (P)
03-05 August FIN Rally Finland (J)
17-19 August D Rallye Deutschland (J)
31 August-02 September NZ Rally New Zealand (P)
05-07 October E Rallye de España (J)
12-14October F Rallye de France - Tour de Corse (J)
26-28 October J Rally Japan (P)
16-18 November IRL Rally Ireland (P)
30 November-02 December GB Rally GB (P)

2008 FIA World Rally Championship

25-27 January MC Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
08-10 February S Swedish Rally
07-09 March SA (Rally South Africa)*
28-30 March JOR Jordan Rally
11-13 April C (Cyprus Rally)*
25-27 April RA Rally Argentina
16-18 May I Rally Italia-Sardinia
30 May-01 June GR Acropolis Rally of Greece
13-15 June TR Rally of Turkey
27-29 June PL (Rally Poland)*
01-03 August FIN Rally Finland
15-17 August D Rallye Deutschland
29-31 August NZ Rally New Zealand
12-14 September AUS Rally Australia
03-05 October E Rallye de España
10-12 October F Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
24-26 October J Rally Japan
28-30 November GB Rally GB

* Rally South Africa, Cyprus Rally and Rally Poland will be subject to inspection in 2007. One of the three events will be included in the 2008 calendar.

[AussieNav]

Sorry to say that I think that is fair enough too!

We stuffed them around and in fact the whole event and it's organisers are still keeping everyone in the dark to this day, so I don't think we deserve it yet.

[Matt Dyne]

I suspect Garry is quietly pleased with this outcome...gives him a year to bed down the event, run something next year as a dress rehearsal, then the full gig in 2008.

I'm assuming by that wording that Australia is not required to reapply, hence next year doesn't have to be a candidate event? I guess based on the fact that it's had it in the past I presume.

Will be interesting to see what they can run next year up here...maybe they'll take over running of Rally Q as a practice?

M

[Factor]

We will have to wait and see what the promoter of Rally Q (BSCC) thinks as well

[tortfeaser]

Hairymuff. How does the new Rally Oz get a guernsey without being a round of a regional championship? Got lucky there. Unless there's some APRC funkiness in the wings.

The three new ones for 2007 got shafted big style. I think there were good arguments for a second snow event and Ireland will be a cracker tarmac round. Turkey and Cyprus are just not distinctive enough from Sardinia, Greece and probably Australia to get a run. I'm bummed about Mexico, the altitude always brought about some good challenges to see who had done the engineering homework. Another round in the Americas was a good thing.

I see the proposed US round hasn't got a look in even as a candidate. For the size of the market, the FIA really has no presence in that part of the world.

[rallyfiend]

Originally Posted by AussieNav

Sorry to say that I think that is fair enough too!

We stuffed them around and in fact the whole event and it's organisers are still keeping everyone in the dark to this day, so I don't think we deserve it yet.

I thought I'd read that at the last FIA meeting Australia had already decided to sit out 2007 with the intention of a definite spot in 2008?

It's great that it's back on! Roll on Rally Oz this year so we can find out the details of the new event!

[TX3 Rally]

Originally Posted by tortfeaser

I see the proposed US round hasn't got a look in even as a candidate. For the size of the market, the FIA really has no presence in that part of the world.

There were some observers there this year, and apparently it was a stinker - residents got on the course on several occasions, and a multitude of other problems. It was a tarmac event, but the roads selected weren't suitable - hosues lined most of them.