Richards: WRC could emulate F1 in five years

Richards took over International Sportsworld Communicators, which controls the marketing and television rights for the WRC, from F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone last Spring.

The Prodrive chairman has already recently announced a WRC television deal for 2002 with Channel 4 in the UK, and talking exclusively on Radio Autosport, Richards says that by learning lessons from F1, world rallying could emulate its success in a third of the time. (Click here for audio link to full interview).

"Bernie [Ecclestone] reminds me often that Formula 1 was not born overnight," said Richards. "We are, in real terms, where Formula 1 was 15 years ago, so if we can accelerate that process three-fold and use the lessons they have learnt in the recent past, then it's going to take us up to five years to get where they are today."

Richards is keen to point out, however, that the two should work together to jointly raise the profile of motorsport as a whole and using F1 as an ally, join the fight for the attention of the sporting public.

"We shouldn't always use Formula 1 as the comparison," said Richards. "There's a lot of other sport out there, which is equally challenging to us - football just dominates. You've only got to pick up a tabloid newspaper and work from the back inwards to find that a third of the paper is about football. We've really got to take them on and compliment F1.

"There will be some crossover, naturally, but between the two of us, we've got to present a good front for the entire motorsport world and if we can do it effectively, I think in five years we will have a very powerful tool."

Richards' will attempt to increase the appeal of the WRC to a wider audience, but without alienating the traditional enthusiast and ensuring the foundations of the sport remain intact.

"We have in the past been guilty of enthusiasts talking to enthusiasts and we've got to bring that down to earth," he said. We have a worldwide body of fans and it's important that we don't lose their support, and that we stay true to the origins of the sport and make it accessible to people. At the same time I believe those are the virtues that will appeal to a new audience."