RB:
I do and I have to say unlike many people of my age - who tend to have a bit of a down on modern rallying because it is not as arduous and not as long - I take my hat off to the modern day rally drivers. They are driving incredibly fast and of course, unlike in my day, when, if you did a pace-note event and not all events were pace-note events, but if you did a pace-note event you practiced it endlessly. Whereas today they just get two runs over the special stage - once to make the notes at slow speed and once to check them - and then they drive incredibly fast on them. They are very professional and very fit sportsmen.
Crash.net:
The WRC this year has been a bit of a two-horse race - between Marcus Gronholm and
Sebastien Loeb for the drivers' title. But the event in New Zealand was very remarkable wasn’t it, given they finished only 0.3 seconds apart after three-days of competition?
RB:
It was – although of course when I was rallying they didn’t even measure the gap to decimals of a second. It was just one whole second and the closest you got to it! It is a pity it is a two-horse race this year however. I think the organisers of the World Rally Championship have got to do something to bring in more manufacturers and until that happens I don’t think you will see a revival.
Crash.net:
The WRC calendar is going to be slashed from 16 events to 12 in 2009. Do you think that is a step in the right direction?
RB:
It is tinkering at the edges to be honest with you. I don’t think it makes too much difference whether you have 12 or 16 events. The cost is in the car and the set-up and everything. I am sure the cost of actually doing the events is not that great. It may be a modest cost saving, which is welcome to some of the teams - but it is not the total answer to the whole thing.
Crash.net:
Will the WRC miss Marcus Gronholm?
RB:
I think if Marcus continued he would lose interest a little bit and probably get a bit slower next year and a bit slower the year after. Then you see the circumstances that you never like to see where an absolute great is on his way down the ladder, rather than up the ladder. I think it is time for him to call it a day then unless rallying is still truly in his blood. If you win you are of course always under pressure to go on. It is the losing that makes you give up. I am sure all the other drivers are like me, I hated losing and I eventually retired because I lost too much!
