Saudi Arabia joined the World Rally Championship as a new event this season, signing a remarkable ten-year agreement straight away.
The decision to take a WRC round to Saudi Arabia has been widely criticised for various reasons. Even if one puts aside issues such as human rights, the route itself has also given rise to plenty of criticism.
The stages in Saudi Arabia are run in extremely rough – and in parts even dangerous – conditions. Several drivers discovered this already on Thursday, as punctures and severe tyre delamination became an everyday occurrence.
Kankkunen did not comment on whether the rally should be held in Saudi Arabia at all, but he made it clear that, in his view, it is at the very least in the wrong place on the calendar.
“This rally is so different that it shouldn’t be the last one of the season. When manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles are being decided, this is extremely challenging. It’s a good rally and it can certainly stay on the calendar, but still,” Kankkunen said firmly.
Kankkunen suggests that Saudi Arabia could be placed somewhere around the middle of the season. For the final round, he would prefer an event where a driver’s skill plays a greater role than simply avoiding punctures.
“Something like that. This is close to the really tough rallies like Kenya and Greece. They are so different compared with the normal asphalt events or fast gravel rallies,” Kankkunen said.
In recent years, the WRC season has concluded with Rally Japan – and before that the campaign often ended, for example, in Wales. Both are demanding rallies in their own way, but the focus was always primarily on drivers’ abilities – not on battling against harsh conditions.
