WRC tempted by a round in Croatia

It was announced today on wrc.com, the official voice piece of WRC Promoter, that the Prime Minister of Croatia is giving his backing to his country’s application to join the World Rally Championship.  

Jan Kopecky at start of 2013 Croatia Rally.It is unusual for WRC Promoter to announce ongoing negotiations regarding candidate events in this way.  

Although the name of Croatia has been included in the Promoter’s ”wish-list” of 13 new or revived destinations for the future WRC, it was one of only four European countries with all the other nine countries being long-haul events.

Promoter chief, Oliver Ciesla, announced during Rally Mexico that he envisages a future 16 round WRC calendar, with eight European events and eight elsewhere, but the FIA’s Rally Manager, Jarmo Mahonen, said last year that the FIA is committed to a limit of 14 rallies WRC.  

This year there are 10 European events in the 13 round WRC.  

The other surprise is that wrc.com said the Porec based event was “outlined” as a mixed surfaced rally, whereas the international Croatia events are traditionally asphalt rallies.  Porec has been the base for FIA European championship events, the last one held in 2013.
 
- Martin Holmes

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