Rally feud 'good for the sport'

before this weekend's Network Q Rally GB title showdown is the perfect way to promote the sport.
Richards told this week's Motorsport News that strong personalities are needed to make rallying more popular in the eyes of the general public.

"The drivers are paid phenomenal amounts of money and have to earn their keep to justify four-million pound price tags," he said. "Drivers have to be personalities and promote themselves and their manufacturers if they are going to survive. The days of them living off their driving abilities alone to command such enormous salaries are over."

Channel 4's new TV deal to cover the WRC on British television can only help the process, Richards added. "With the increased input of Channel 4 in this country and our other marketing initiatives, I'll be very surprised by the end of 2002 if the McRae family and Richard Burns aren't significant household names."

Motorsport boss Max Mosley believes that rallying has the potential to rival Formula 1 in the popularity stakes. But Richards does not want the WRC to emulate Grand Prix racing. Instead, he wants to emphasise the differences between the two codes of motorsport.