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Organisers deny Australia is under threat

Organisers of Rally Australia have responded to autosport.com's exclusive report that the event's position on the 2003 World Rally Championship calendar is under threat by denying there is a problem

According to AUTOSPORT sources, the Telstra-backed event is in danger due to recent changes in the management structure that have resulted in bitter arguments involving officials and the Western Australia Tourism Commission, which owns the event (click on link below to see story). But senior event staff have denied its event is under any threat.

"It is difficult to take this report seriously, given that the FIA's own observer report at last year's event considered it the best in the championship," said Richard Muirhead, CEO of the WATC. "We have had no correspondence from the FIA indicating that there is any serious threat to withdraw the rally from Australia. We would expect that if this was seriously being contemplated that the FIA would have officially informed us."

Muirhead said that the rally office had contacted David Richards, the commercial rights holder of the World Rally Championship, and he said that he knew of no problem. Muirhead also said that the president of the FIA WRC Commission, Shekhar Mehta, "was unaware of the basis for this story".

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