Rally Australia Gone

[raybak]

Rally Oz not included on the 2007 Calendar.



Ray

[Lyndall]

The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) decisions are detailed here:

http://www.fia.com/mediacentre/Press...050706-01.html

Cupla interesting items in there - apart from the absence of Rally Australia :

• The World Rally Championship Commission will decide whether to add further events to the 2007 calendar and will make a proposal at the next World Council meeting.
• Petter and his crazy fan club are going to love having Rally Norway included in the WRC.
• Will Kevin Shaw return home to show the WRC boys how to put on a real spectacle in Rally Ireland.
• From the beginning of the 2008 season, all World Rally Car entrants will use tyres from a single supplier. Run-flat ‘foam’ will not be permitted. Tenders will be invited from tyre companies.
• From 1 January 2007, it will be forbidden for competition cars running on less than four wheels to be driven on liaison sections. Detailed regulations will be proposed at the next World Council meeting.
• The World Motor Sport Council approved the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship calendar, which will continue to run to the existing January-December format (instead of the July-June schedule proposed earlier).
• Garry Connelly (Australia) was co-opted as a new member of the WMSC, to replace the late John Large.
• Morrie Chandler (from NZ - former MANZ President, Rally NZ CoC and Ralliart NZ owner) was appointed President of the World Rally Championship Commission.
• Hans-Christopher Mehmel was appointed President of the Rally Commission.

Looks like the annual pilgrimmage to Rally NZ by Aussies will become a flood if Rally Oz doesn't get added in the next possible wave of appointments.

From a personal view, keeping the Jan-Dec calendar format means Tim and I have a window of opportunity to take Teagan to her first overseas WRC round (been there, done that to Rally Oz when she was 7 months old) for free before she turns 2 on 1 April 2007. Anyone got any Scandinavian connections? The Swedish (9-11 Feb) and Norwegian (16-18 Feb) rounds on 2 consecutive weekends has got to be go! All we need to do is find the $'s.

[tortfeaser]

I'm massively disappointed. Can't blame the FIA I don't really think - with so much faffing about by CAMS on the new venue and faced with so many good candidate rounds how could the FIA decide otherwise.

At some point there has to be a reckoning that CAMS and ARCom have *****ed rallying royally.

[claude]

Originally Posted by Tort

At some point there has to be a reckoning that CAMS and ARCom have *****ed rallying royally.

Maybe after the ROC is gone too ?

[tortfeaser]

Aye. Rally Oz gone, RoC and Tas ARC dead in the water, NSW ARC non existant, available areas for rallying shrinking with no action by CAMS. Commercial support declining (and who can blame them for that). Deaths in testing, serious injuries continuing unabated in tarmac rallying (competitors and spectators).

I would really love the stats on numbers of Group 3C log books and national rally licences issued over the last ten years.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by tortfeaser

I'm massively disappointed. Can't blame the FIA I don't really think - with so much faffing about by CAMS on the new venue and faced with so many good candidate rounds how could the FIA decide otherwise.

At some point there has to be a reckoning that CAMS and ARCom have *****ed rallying royally.

Not entirely CAMS and ARCom's fault, lets be honest. However they are where the buck stops and rightly or wrongly they will cop the blame, especially with everything else that has gone wrong and they have done wrong. With RoC about gone, Rally of Tas such a success (cough cough) and a truly p*ss poor ARC, it really is time to make them accountable.

No, we just cant whine and then let it drop. ARCom and CAMS are not capable of meeting the challenges that rallying has right now.

[tortfeaser]

No, I think it is CAMS fault. Rallying has declined so much in recent years that governments and commercial interests don't want anything to do with it. The decline falls solely at the feet of CAMS.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Mark-selfishly indulgent from 19 April 2005

My two cents is:
It will end up in another country.
I think I read in ARN last night that there were about 8 countries out there wanting in on the WRC gig.
Losing Australia would probably ease the logistics for the teams to a small degree. If you were based in the UK, would you rather go do a *****ty & rough rally in Portugal or travel 10,000+ miles to Australia.

Mark

[Bogan]

Originally Posted by Lyndall

• Garry Connelly (Australia) was co-opted as a new member of the WMSC, to replace the late John Large.

Not withstanding all the comments people might make about motorsport on a world stage now, I wonder if this means that GC will no longer have the time or the commitment to remain on ARCom?

T.

[Ric Cary]

Originally Posted by Bogan

Not withstanding all the comments people might make about motorsport on a world stage now, I wonder if this means that GC will no longer have the time or the commitment to remain on ARCom?

T.

You kidding FIA only pays his overseas flights and accom, CAMS/ARCOM pick up his domestic snuffleing

[rallyfiend]

Originally Posted by Ric Cary

You kidding FIA only pays his overseas flights and accom, CAMS/ARCOM pick up his domestic snuffleing

Your complaining because he gets a few 'free' flights in exchange for the amount of work he would invariably have to do?

[mrbob]

What about the Queensland option?

I thought they were supposed to be close to an announcement on a QLD based Rally Australia?

Having never been to a world rally, this makes my wanting to go to Perth this year THAT much more important!!

[MikeW]

One thing I could never understand is why Rally Oz stayed in Perth anyway.

I mean, think about it. We had the World Rally Championship in Australia and where did they run it? As far away from anyone as possible on the west coast and then just to make it hard for the people in Perth they had it a few hours away.......

Rally NZ is probably closer and cheaper for me to go to anyway.

[Lyndall]

WA had a willing government with $'s to support the event, which apparently no other state government could come close to matching at the time, and roads that could withstand the grunt and numbers of the WRC field. Hard to go past...

[Ric Cary]

Originally Posted by rallyfiend

Your complaining because he gets a few 'free' flights in exchange for the amount of work he would invariably have to do?

Nope not complianing in the slightest if Mr Connelly and ARCOM and CAMS had a flourishing ARC, oversubscribed state and lower competitions, Naming rights sponsors for all major events queing up, funding passed back to the lower levels of the sport to promote young talent etc etc etc to show for their last 5 years of tenure or could even demonstrate one major achievement from the Original charter that they published all those years ago that has stood the test of time. I'd say good on em Fly em First class put em up in the Presendential suite of the best hotel at every event but I find little if anything to defend, you have "appointed" Officers being the money behind the commercial rights holder whose rights were granted by those same officers, but that is not regarded as a conflict of interest and it goes on. but I'm not complaining just like you I have placed my Rose coloured glasses firmly in front of my eyes taken 5 Valium and am at peace with the world