Please find below for your information the rule changes for WRC 2004.

WRC rule changes confirmed
15/12/2003 12:06:56



The FIA’s recent World Motor Sport Council meeting has clarified a number of issues regarding the 2004 World Rally Championship technical and sporting regulations.

Gravel Cars:
These will only be allowed upon application to the FIA by an event organiser, and then only for reasons of safety, agreed as such by the Safety Commission.

Mille Pistes:
The Council reaffirmed that the Mille Pistes system of recceing the route on the morning of that day’s competitive stages would be required by all events in the championship after the 2004 Swedish Rally, except when a waiver is sought and agreed to in order to assist an organiser who has particular difficulties in 2004. Also, crews must use either their own rally car or a standard car during the recce.

Flexi-service:
The Council agreed the rules applying to Flexi-service for 2004. Two-car teams will serviced one after the other rather than at the same time. This will require fewer personnel and therefore reduce on-event costs.

Testing:
For teams registered in the Championship in the current year, testing is prohibited outside Europe, in Cyprus and Turkey, in the country of a rally from start of reconnaissance until the end of the rally, on any road which is, or might be, used as a special stage of any current Championship rally, throughout the months of August and November.



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Gravel Cars:
These will only be allowed upon application to the FIA by an event organiser, and then only for reasons of safety, agreed as such by the Safety Commission.

More beurocratic nonsense for the organisors and you now have the situation of needing to employ staff on a one off basis then dump them for a few months.

Mille Pistes:
The Council reaffirmed that the Mille Pistes system of recceing the route on the morning of that day’s competitive stages would be required by all events in the championship after the 2004 Swedish Rally, except when a waiver is sought and agreed to in order to assist an organiser who has particular difficulties in afternoon and then only get to see one stage. I can see Hire car 2004. Also, crews must use either their own rally car or a standard car during the recce.

Disaster for spectators, so you sit on your arse till the afternoon and then get to see one stage. Hire companies will love that, "can i rent a car to recce a rally please?" "piss off". It's a nonsense because they will just have to ship cars for the crews to use. If they run in the rally cars thats not sensible in terms of a good environment to make safe notes, plus its putting the rally car at risk of damage.

Flexi-service:
The Council agreed the rules applying to Flexi-service for 2004. Two-car teams will serviced one after the other rather than at the same time. This will require fewer personnel and therefore reduce on-event costs.

Lets hope none of the teams have a problem on the car and run out of time to fix it, then have to either carry on, limiting time for the 2nd car, or dump the first car and thats out of the rally.

They havnt adressed a single thing with regards to the real costs of competing, in fact they have increased costs by imposing a 16 event callendar.

Rank stupidity. If I didn't know better I'd be thinking these new rules were an April fool. Unfortunately, they're going to have to be seen to not work a few times before things get changed.

The only thing I can't understand is how if all the teams are convinced that they're unworkable, all the event organisers are convinced they're unworkable, and all the drivers are convinced they're unworkable, why aren't they standing together to get things changed?

When the F1 teams got a bit ticked off with Bernie and the FIA, they threatened to p*ss off and set up their own series. It's not like Max would be able to find five other teams, or 14 other events to form another WRC if the current mob up and left, so why hasn't the adoption of these rules been greeted with more opposition than a couple of letters?



[Edited by greasemonkey - 12/16/2003 8:45:14 PM]

Massive F1 scrap yard at wet race springs to mind! (Sorry not good on remembering names and dates)

Yep that idea to save money by restricting how many types of tyre teams allowed to take to race was a really really good one!!!!!!

Lets hope lack of gravel crews dosn't have similar effect and as to no stages to watch in morning, are they going to lower prices?

[Edited by janacorn - 12/20/2003 7:19:58 PM]

A-ha, this is why Max the Planck is suggesting that cars should be allowed back in on subsequent days if they happen to crash out. Prevents the "Oh sh*t, Sunday morning and there are only eight WRC's still running", at least in theory... :rolleyes:

It really is nonsense. I don't see how this will reduce costs and as for letting the cars re-enter after breaking down.. well words fail me. The WRC is heading for disaster.

Bring back Jean-Marie Balestre... well maybe not.