World Rally Championship 2010
Next year's World Rally Championship events have been agreed following a decision of the WRC commission today to approve the application of the candidate rally in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria was the sole FIA candidate rally for 2010, meaning that although it was included in next year's provisional calendar, its place depended on a satisfactory report from an FIA observer attending this year's Borovets-based event.
However doubts had been expressed about Bulgaria's bid to join the WRC after July's candidate rally ended prematurely, following a crash which killed Italian co-driver Flavio Guglielmin.
But after reviewing the FIA observers report at a meeting today in Paris, the World Rally Championship commission, headed by its president Morrie Chandler, decided that Rally Bulgaria had met the required standard, and would keep its place in next year's 13-round calendar.
Today's decision ends Rally Argentina's bid to be a part of the 2010 series. The South American event had put itself forward as a reserve in case Bulgaria's application was unsuccessful.
Although the events are now certain, the date of Rally Bulgaria remains to be finalised. Currently it is scheduled to finish on 11 July, but a move one week earlier or later seems likely to prevent a clash with the FIFA World Cup Final which takes place on the same day.
Next year's WRC calendar (with Sunday finish dates)
1. Sweden: 14/02/10
2. Mexico: 07/03/10
3. Jordan: 04/04/10
4. Turkey: 18/04/10
5. New Zealand: 09/05/10
6. Portugal: 30/05/10
7. Bulgaria*: 11/07/10
8. Finland: 01/08/10
9. Germany: 22/08/10
10. Japan: 12/09/10
11. France: 03/10/10
12. Spain: 24/10/10
13. GB: 14/11/10
*date to be confirmed
World Rally Championship - News -
Bulgaria was the sole FIA candidate rally for 2010, meaning that although it was included in next year's provisional calendar, its place depended on a satisfactory report from an FIA observer attending this year's Borovets-based event.
However doubts had been expressed about Bulgaria's bid to join the WRC after July's candidate rally ended prematurely, following a crash which killed Italian co-driver Flavio Guglielmin.
But after reviewing the FIA observers report at a meeting today in Paris, the World Rally Championship commission, headed by its president Morrie Chandler, decided that Rally Bulgaria had met the required standard, and would keep its place in next year's 13-round calendar.
Today's decision ends Rally Argentina's bid to be a part of the 2010 series. The South American event had put itself forward as a reserve in case Bulgaria's application was unsuccessful.
Although the events are now certain, the date of Rally Bulgaria remains to be finalised. Currently it is scheduled to finish on 11 July, but a move one week earlier or later seems likely to prevent a clash with the FIFA World Cup Final which takes place on the same day.
Next year's WRC calendar (with Sunday finish dates)
1. Sweden: 14/02/10
2. Mexico: 07/03/10
3. Jordan: 04/04/10
4. Turkey: 18/04/10
5. New Zealand: 09/05/10
6. Portugal: 30/05/10
7. Bulgaria*: 11/07/10
8. Finland: 01/08/10
9. Germany: 22/08/10
10. Japan: 12/09/10
11. France: 03/10/10
12. Spain: 24/10/10
13. GB: 14/11/10
*date to be confirmed
World Rally Championship - News -
Related Stories
08/14/2009 10:45 AM: WRC - Atkinson seeking World Rally Championship return in 2010 by JamikoFormer Subaru works team driver Chris Atkinson is working on a bid to return to the World Rally Championship next year and has restated his aim of one day becoming World Champion.Like Petter Solberg, ...
08/11/2009 11:32 AM: Ford's World Rally Championship Fiesta S2000 takes shape by Halo
M-Sport, the firm behind Ford's World Rally Championship programme, has announced that the first of its new Fiesta S2000 rally cars is nearing completion. Three months after the project began, the fir...
07/28/2009 11:28 AM: Kubica eyes World Rally debut by Halo
In the week when Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen will make his World Rally Championship debut on Rally Finland, BMW Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica says he expects to follow the Finn into rallying.Answering r...
