MOTORS{PORT By Tony Brunskill

Last updated at 10:21, Friday, 19 December 2008

THE big news this week is the pulling out of Suzuki and Subaru from the World Rally Championship (WRC), reducing the number of manufactures down to two – Ford and Citroën.

To be frank the championship has been a two-horse race anyway but without others to contest the winning Zsara and Focus rally cars, it will be even duller than usual.

I know I am in danger of being a Victor Meldrew but in reality I do not belong to the Flat Earth Society or masquerade as a Luddite.

However I do think the essence of true rallying has been lost by it being turned into a circuit racing on forest stages for the sake of television, and to ensure the pampered drivers are tucked up nice and warm in beds each night.

When the Clarks and Hopkirks ruled the rallying world, it was test of man and machine against the elements: a test of skill, endurance and bravery because, apart from Ordnance Survey maps, the routes and stages were unknown, and though some form a practice eventually came into the sport, the likes of Roger and Paddy usually eschewed such novelties, leaving it to their supreme skills to overcome anything they met.

This is not to denigrate the modern WRC drivers who are just as brave but the predictability of modern rallying and the repetitious use of the same stages is just a tad boring.

And I know things and times change but the old RAC, for example, was the biggest spectator sport in the UK and filled the newspaper headlines and broadcast media but now fans have to be insomniacs to watch what little TV coverage there is and only get newspaper coverage on sports pages.

Finally, fans now have to pay and the gulf between the bobble hats and the crews gets wider and wider.

That may be viewed as destructive copy but it should not be seen as such but rather more as constructive criticism because I am passionate about rallying and want to see our local M-Sport succeed and expand as it is a fine employer, a skill centre and Cumbria ambassador’

My only aim is that I want the sport to take a long look at itself in this period of financial uncertainty to end the disconnect from fans and give us more spectacle.

Just like F1, we can’t turn back the clock as both sports have pushed the engineering envelope to benefit ordinary cars but whether it is banning 4x4 systems which knackers the stages anyway, curbing the subservience to TV (it will come anyway if the sport is more inclusive and exciting) or perhaps even giving the highly paid drivers a little less to let the fans watch free! Meanwhile, as proved by the many motorsport events that take place in Cumbria, the sport’s grassroots are healthy and thriving, and though I know many of us are beginning to feel the pinch let’s kick the doom merchants into touch.

Homilies over, may I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and remind you that if you want your event, club or motorsport  activity to be mentioned in Cumbria’s leading newspaper, then all you have to do is contact me at tony@4-sq.com <mailto:tony@4-sq.com> or call on 07680 814338.

First published at 05:20, Friday, 19 December 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk