Modified rally formats in the face of the upheaval of the calendars?

Despite an almost normal start to the season, the WRC Like all national and international championships, suffered the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. Argentina, Portugal and even Italy have already been postponed, with the Safari Rally in Kenya positioning itself as a possible resumption of the season in July.

To deal with this new situation, the FIA ​​and the WRC promoter are imagining several scenarios, in order to try not to lose any rounds. “The idea is that organizers who have not yet changed their dates keep them, tells us Yves Matton, director of rallies at the international federation.

The staggered rounds must be inserted when possible or if others are not able to appear in the program. We are considering changing the format of some postponed rallies to facilitate logistics.

Some teams struggle to do two events in 15 days because they cannot move their equipment as quickly. This crisis has the merit of making us think about the future. »

Another card in hand, a possible shift in the calendar until December. “The FIA ​​prize giving ceremony (December 11) was moved back a week to be able to add events, says Matton.

For the moment, no organizer has shown their attraction to dates at the beginning of December. Maybe in a few days they will have another vision…”

Discover our entire interview with Yves Matton, in issue 2262 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.