FIA considers to start and maintain a list, updated weekly, where all rally drivers in the world’s different FIA championships will be ranked. This means there would be a cross-championship ranking, intended to make it easier for rally organisers to set the starting order. The system was tested already during 2008, but not without problems – since the criterias wasn’t really perfect. An example mentioned by Finnish MTV3 is that Toni Gardemeister got ranking 87 – despite doing an OK job in the Suzuki WRT. He had retired too many times.
The system will remain in beta phase during 2009 and get public in 2010 – but only for regional series etc, not the WRC. Based on the problems that seems to be good. We all know how much the starting order can mean in rallies with fresh snow, a lot of loose gravel etc. – and it wouldn’t be fair to decide rallies on a crazy ranking system. Despite that – I think the idea is good. The starting order today is in many parts decided by the organiser, and even in the WRC organisers have different quality and most important – they love their local drivers.
However, all this is based on a good system – which will not be easy to create. Championships are different around the world, and everyone knows that winning one regional championship doesn’t mean you even have a chance in one other. The system must of course take that into account, and it must also not over-credit drivers just because they are driving in the WRC. For example Khalid Al-Quassimi, that hasn’t made any real results, must of course be quite low in the list – lower than some drivers running on local basis.
So basically I like this. But question remains… How the h-ck can you make the system work?
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Tags: drivers, fia, mtv3, rally drivers, ranking, regional championship, WRC
