After having allowed a new generation of cars to enter the scene, the FIA now admits that the speeds reached in some stages can jeopardize safety. Oops...
Entering Rally Monaco, the inaugural stage of the World Rally Championship, the 2017 season promised to be one of the most exciting ever: changes in regulations have allowed manufacturers to make the most of the cars' potential and make them faster than Never. Two steps later, we can say that expectations have been fulfilled.VIDEO: Jari-Matti Latvala's ride on Rally Monaco
In Rally Sweden, which took place last weekend, the Finnish Jari-Matti Latvala was the big winner, thus offering Toyota its first victory after several years of absence. But what marked the Swedish Rally was perhaps the annulment of the second run in Knon's special.
In this section, some drivers set averages above 135 km/h, a speed that the FIA considered too fast, and therefore dangerous. The FIA rally director himself, Jarmo Mahonen, says this, speaking to Motosport:
“The new cars are faster than the previous ones, but even last year (2016) the cars exceeded 130km/h at this stage. This tells us one thing: we have to be firmer when organizers want to include a new section. From our point of view, specials with averages above 130 km/h are too high speeds. We want the cancellation of this stage to act as a message for the organizers so that they can think carefully about the routes”.