New WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen has called for the FIA to allow Rally2 drivers to use route note crews – labelling some of last weekend’s Central European Rally stages “really dangerous” without them.
All Rally1 drivers are able to utilize route note crews, often referred to as gravel crews, on asphalt rounds of the World Rally Championship.
These crews, which usually comprise current or former rally driver and co-drivers, drive through the stage in recce vehicles before the rally crews arrive competitively, providing an update on conditions and amending the pacenotes appropriately.
That proved particularly useful on CER, with heavy rain on Friday transforming the condition of the road compared to the recce earlier in the week.
At the end of Friday’s first stage in which his WRC2 title rival Yohan Rossel crashed out, Mikkelsen first suggested Rally2 crews should be able to have RNCs on events other than Monte Carlo too.
And he doubled down on that stance in the post-event press conference.
“Friday was super tricky in Czech Republic without having gravel crews in Rally2,” Mikkelsen said.
“When we are driving these speeds, not to have a gravel crew is actually really dangerous.
“I really hope that the FIA does something for us Rally2 crews because we are also going to push on these stages, so we know a little bit at least where the mud is because these cars go over 200km/h as well. So it isn’t easy.”
Allowing WRC2 crews the use of a route note crew would increase costs for those competitors, and could potentially leave privateer drivers at a disadvantage.
But Hyundai driver Emil Lindholm doesn’t believe that would be prohibitive.
“Personally, yeah, it’s a safety thing,” Lindholm told DirtFish.
“I think especially Friday’s stages they changed a lot from recce to the rally itself, so I think a fair amount of drivers were caught out by the changed conditions.
“And I mean the recce cars are here anyhow so it would just require two guys, and most of us even have some kind of help during the Tarmac events present here. So I think it would be a good thing, sure, and probably implemented in at quite low cost.”
Erik Cais, who finished second in WRC2 at CER, doesn’t see the need for an RNC.
“Definitely we have a lot of onboards from recce, then you can watch the WRC+ Live, so you can see and you can expect,” he told DirtFish.
“And I think to make it a little bit raw, it’s maybe better for WRC2 [to not have RNCs]. So I like it maybe a little bit more without the gravel crew, to be honest.”
DirtFish has asked the FIA for comment.
