Andrea Adamo: “Maybe the manufacturers are not sure about the future of the WRC”

Andrea, how is the succession of the WRC today ?

Andrea Adamo: Pour les jeunes, la situation est compliquée. Sans tomber dans le « c’était mieux avant », il faut reconnaître que dans les années 1990 il était envisageable pour des équipes privées d’aligner des autos des saisons précédentes et de faire courir des espoirs. Markko Märtin a commencé sur une Toyota Corolla WRC, Petter Solberg aussi… Cela n’est plus possible aujourd’hui. Comment voulez-vous qu’un team investisse dans une Rally1 ? C’est bien trop cher. Nous en avons déjà parlé, mais la question demeure : le WRC a-t-il choisi les bonnes voitures pour le futur ?

Are the regulations for tests which should come into force in 2023 not a hindrance for this succession?

In my opinion, this is a major problem. How do you expect someone who is just starting out to build their skills with 1 day of testing before rally ? A day ! Besides, it will perhaps be even less. When I made this remark to the FIA ​​and the promoter, their response was that the teams have a permanent base and that they just had to exploit it with these contenders. How can we imagine that they will acquire the necessary experience there? That's not how it works.

What should be done?

Maybe it would be good to allow them to take a test before the exams? Of course, we would have to determine a framework: age limit, final positions, number of races... and also ensure that Kalle Rovanperä does not fall into these criteria! (Laughs) The situation does not encourage manufacturers to invest in young people. I tried to do it with Oliver Solberg… and I prefer not to comment on the way it was handled because I think it was the best way to burn a kid. This experience will certainly push brands to think carefully before venturing into such a process.

Do you think the FIA ​​should make a 4 mandatory^e car for a beginner or require the creation of Junior crews in WRC2?

As long as you try to impose things, teams will always find a way around it. Previously, there were no rules and it was done. It should be natural for manufacturers to make investments over several years. Maybe they are not sure about the future of the WRC. They tell themselves that it is better to win tomorrow, because nothing is certain for the day after tomorrow. I don't like taking the F1 as a reference, but it seems to me that the main teams have Junior teams. This involves a business aspect, but it is also a way of looking at the long term. They are already talking about the 2026 engine while in WRC, we still don't know what they are going to do... tomorrow morning! How do you want to make investments over several years under these conditions? I don't want to be negative. I love this sport and that's why I ask myself questions to imagine solutions.

Is WRC3 Junior the right way to break into the World Cup?

With this car, the drivers are looking above all to show that they are capable of taking it to the finish rather than proving that they are fast. When you ride this Rally3 on dirt, the roads are so destroyed that you can only drive in the special. Maybe we should reserve the Rally3s for the European Championship. The winner would win a budget to come to the World Cup the following year on a Rally2. If you look at the careers of Kalle, Oliver, Gus Greensmith or Pierre-Louis Loubet, they mainly competed in Rally2. When we evaluate the price of a season of 8 races in ERC, where there was even a project to make 9, it's impressive. Why not reserve it for Rally3 with a move to Rally2 in WRC afterwards?

What do you think of the FIA ​​Rally Star?

I think it will all depend on the final result. If it's positive, it was worth doing. Otherwise, a lot of money will have been spent for nothing...

Comments collected by L. Rocci