by Rob Wilkins


Former RAC Rally star, Russell Brookes believes that Marcus Gronholm has made the right decision to hang up his helmet at the end of this season - especially if his heart is no longer it.

Brookes who made his name in the sport 20-30 years ago - winning the British Rally Championship twice as well as taking in over 20 WRC events, competing against the likes of Bjorn Waldegard, Hannu Mikkola, Ari Vatanen, Pentti Aikikkala and Jimmy McRae - told Crash.net Radio at the recent Castle Combe Rallyday in the UK that it is better Gronholm goes out at the top of his game than stays around and loses his edge.

"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," he noted.

"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!"

Asked about rallying in general today, Brookes added that he has the utmost respect for the current stars, such as Gronholm, Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg.

"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 as it use to be - I take my hat off to the modern day rally drivers," he continued.

"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."

As for the WRC in general and plans to cut the schedule from 16 events to 12 from 2009, Brookes doesn't think such changes go far enough: "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," he added.

"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.

"I think what the organisers of the World Rally Championship have really got to do is bring in more manufacturers. Until that happens I don't think you will see a revival," he warned.


TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH RUSSELL BROOKES: CLICK HERE