Rally GB, one of the original World Rally Championship events, could end up being squeezed out of the championship in a stand-off between the Welsh government and the FIA.
Such concerns surfaced after the FIA refused to give this year’s route the green light. The event’s official launch, scheduled last week had to be cancelled as a result of the governing body's decision.
New FIA rally boss, ex-Citroën chief Yves Matton is said to have concerns that the final Power Stage over the Great Orme and into Llandudno is “not representative of the rally”. But extending the Power Stage into Llandudno would bring the WRC to closed roads in a British town for the first time and be of great benefit to Wales.
The Welsh government has invested considerable political energy into ensuring closed-roads were in place. It has also allocated extra funding to ensure helicopter shots of the north Welsh coastline can be shown worldwide from the Power Stage.
A source said: "Wales is absolutely on the boil for this; it’s rightly seen as a fantastic way to show off some of its most beautiful coastline. The event has moved to early October this year, which means real potential for great weather, big crowds and amazing TV shots.
"Nobody’s under any illusions. The organisers are aware that the Great Orme is different in nature to the rest of the route, but the problem here really lies with woolly rules. If asphalt stages can’t be run on gravel rallies then why has a waiver been issued for such a stage in each of the past five years? The issue is with waivers, especially when so much of the argument is utterly subjective."
He added: "And in terms of a Power Stage being worth five points, are any of these final 10 km stages really worth the points? The Power Stage is a promotional creation and should be treated as such."
It had been hoped that the Great Orme stage and the potential for 30,000 spectators lining Llandudno streets would help secure an extension to Wales’ backing of Rally GB as the current agreement ends this year.
It is understood that WRC teams are undecided, with some pointing to the dangers of the Great Orme stage running high above the Irish Sea. However, one senior team principal said: "I don’t understand what the problem is here. We have the chance to do something exceptional, something which will genuinely bring the rally to the people and the drivers are crying about it.
"The drivers are professionals, they should do their jobs: drive where their co-drivers tell them and let the organisers run the rally. If this doesn’t happen it’s a stupid decision from the FIA and it’s a huge missed opportunity. Sometimes, I don’t understand this sport…"
Discussion about this post