Crash.net:
How many would you like in the future because there is speculation there could be an extra one in 2009?
MB:
Ten is a good round number. If you were running in a race series you would want to have ten weekends because then if you have a couple of bad weekends you have still got the others to make up for it. Where as this year because there is only six events, if you have a couple of bad rallies than that is your championship gone because there is just not any time to claw back any ground lost.
Crash.net:
This dropped score format makes it quite complicated. What is your view on that and the SupeRally?
MB:
I have never been a fan of the SupeRally but obviously if you are in a rally and you have a problem like we did on Rally GB last year we didn’t have to risk limping the car through the last stage - and maybe ending up in a ditch. We could take a 5 minute penalty and know we would get to the end and get the championship points. There are pros and cons. It is not 'real' rallying if you ask me - if you have an accident that should be the end of your rally. But we need to keep people in the sport and if it gives you a chance and you have had a problem on the first day of a three day rally at least you get back out for the other two days. As for dropped scores that is a bit confusing. Going into the last round you could be leading the championship but with your dropped scores you are not actually leading and you still need to win. You never really know until it is all written down on paper after the event and you have got a mathematician to sit through it all and work it all out.
Crash.net:
Another change for the BRC this season is that a control tyre was introduced. What were your thoughts on that?
MB:
From a tyre point of view, the ones that we are using from Pirelli, they are a very good. But for me it was a big problem this year because our main support last year was from another tyre manufacturer. As such that was a big chunk of our budget knocked out before we had even looked at what car we were using or anything like that. From that perspective, from a person a little bit further down the running order, where it is all about saving a bit of money where you can, we were getting free tyres last year and that saved us a lot of money. This year, like I say, the tyres are good, but it has meant we have had to find a lot more money and from that point of view I would prefer the tyres to be open because then you have got the competition as well between the different tyre manufacturers. It just adds another variable on events.
Crash.net:
You have talked about the WRC jokingly with regard to that Ford drive. Do you follow it?
MB:
I do follow it yes, but if you watch it on the TV you would think there are only half a dozen cars in it. It is a bit disappointing the coverage and on
Sky you will get five hours of live cricket – and that is not very exciting! – and then you get half an hour of rally action. There is a lot of action out there in rallying that doesn’t get onto the TV and it is confusing for people that don’t really know what they are watching - the casual spectator. Obviously we are all very sombre here at Castle Combe today with the loss of
Colin McRae recently and Richard Burns at end of 2005 - there are no former world champions from Britain left now. I think Matt Wilson needs to pull his finger out and start winning a few rallies so we can all really get behind him and start cheering him on.
Crash.net:
It has been tough for Matt though hasn’t it being thrown straight in at the deep end with a WRC car at the top of the sport…
MB:
[long pause] Yeah it was very tough, but he has shown he has got the skills. Now he just needs to get that bit of experience which will mean he can push everywhere and set some cracking stage times.
Crash.net:
Marcus Gronholm has announced he is retiring from the WRC, how big a blow is that for the sport?
