Mosley exclusive in AUTOSPORT

Motorsport boss Max Mosley has told AUTOSPORT magazine in an exclusive interview that he believes the World Rally Championship has the potential to be a rival to Formula 1, if it can become more TV friendly

The future of rallying is just one of the issue the FIA president discusses in the interview, as he speaks frankly about his ambitions and views on world motorsport.

Mosley pinpoints David Richards as the man who could give rallying the boost it needs to become as popular as F1. Prodrive boss Richards owns the commercial rights to the WRC through the International Sportsworld Communicators company. He is investing in the latest TV technology to improve the coverage of rallying.

"The potential is enormous," said Mosley. "I believe it can and should rival F1, because it's real cars and drivers and it's so much closer to real life. You can take it to the public rather than make the public come to you."

But Mosley doesn't underestimate the task that lies ahead. "It's very difficult to present rallying well on TV," he said. "But technology is moving in a direction which makes that easier, and David fully understands that. It depends on how good a job he can do, but we'll help as much as we can."

Mosley also speaks to AUTOSPORT about:

The British Grand Prix
Overtaking in F1
His relationship with Bernie Ecclestone
Driver aids
The EU inquiry into the FIA
F1 TV revenue
Road car safety

This week's AUTOSPORT magazine goes on sale tomorrow (Thursday).