World Rally Championship teams unite over 2014 format proposal
The World Rally Championship manufacturers have united to create a new proposal to end the 2014 running order controversy
The promoter and teams have been at loggerheads over the former's desire to alter the running order so that the cars start in championship order for days one and two before reversing the classification on the final day of every WRC round in 2014.
The teams presented their proposal, which also comes with the approval of 2014 returnee Hyundai, in an effort to deliver a level playing field for next season.
In an unprecedented step, all three of the current team principals were represented at M-Sport's pre-event press conference on Wednesday evening.
M-Sport's Malcolm Wilson said: "We want to report that we had a very good meeting today. The teams are all in agreement with the plans put forward."
VW chief Jost Capito clarified his position on the recent Geneva meeting of the WRC Commission, which he walked out of.
"There were many points that were not clear in that meeting, because the promoters [Oliver Ciesla and Jona Siebel] were not there," said Capito. "And that was the reason we didn't stay - because we didn't know what we were voting on.
"It sounded like it was only Volkswagen which felt this way, but actually it was all of the manufacturers - we all abstained in the vote.
"But today was very good, very positive and we feel more confident now than we did before the meeting."
The manufacturers declined to go into detail on their proposal.
"That wouldn't be fair at all," Wilson said. "We have put it to the promoter, it was well received, but it's now only fair that we don't talk about it and let them have time to consider it."
Under the proposal, there would still be no qualifying stage next season.
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| Series | WRC |
| Teams | RK World Rally Team |
| Author | David Evans |
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