A cloud of uncertainty has descended over the World Rally Championship finale as Toyota and Hyundai have reportedly informed the FIA and WRC Promoter that they cannot travel to Rally Saudi Arabia. The event, scheduled for Jeddah in November, now faces an uncertain future just months before the season concludes.
The two manufacturers sent a joint letter to the FIA, signed by their sporting directors Kaj Lindstrom (Toyota) and Andrew Wheatley (Hyundai), outlining their position. Company-wide travel restrictions to certain Middle East locations, including the rally's venue, have been cited as the primary obstacle. This development throws a major spanner in the works for the championship's finale.
Hyundai told DirtFish: "There are some restrictions on business travel to the Middle East which are being monitored on a daily basis and are evolving constantly." A Toyota statement added: "Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is fully dependent on Toyota Motor Corporation and all of its team members need to comply with TMC regulations. There is a TMC policy which currently doesn’t allow to travel in the Middle East."
Interestingly, M-Sport, the third major team, has taken a different stance. Team principal Richard Millener said: "Naturally, in these scenarios we follow the government’s foreign office advice and, as of now, the restriction is only on travelling within 10 kilometers of the Saudi border with Yemen. Our primary concern is for the safety of our team and we will respect whatever decision is taken."
The FIA, however, is not ready to give up. Emilia Abel, FIA Road Sport Director, stated: "For the moment there, there is no official decision or announcement that has been made. Work is progressing as planned, nothing has been postponed or put on hold. But it’s true there comes a limit for the logistics." She hinted that a decision could come as early as Monday, with sources suggesting a deadline is looming.
WRC Promoter COO Julien Vial added: "We are, of course, monitoring the situation very closely. We need to take into account the FIA’s recommendations and the teams’ concerns, which we fully share when it comes to safety, while also recognising our contractual commitments with Saudi Arabia." As the clock ticks, the motorsport world waits anxiously to see if a compromise can be reached to save the season finale.
Baca Juga
Toyota dan Hyundai memutuskan tidak bisa terbang ke Rally Saudi Arabia karena pembatasan perjalanan ke Timur Tengah. FIA masih mencari solusi agar putaran final WRC tetap berjalan.
Hayden Paddon finis kedua di WRC Paraguay, meraih podium keduanya musim ini dan menjawab keraguan tentang kemampuannya. Hasil ini menegaskan performa kuat Hyundai di gravel.
Sebastien Ogier meminta maaf kepada Presiden FIA dan Presiden Paraguay atas interaksi yang kurang pantas, lalu mengubahnya menjadi pertemuan konstruktif untuk perbaikan olahraga.
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