Finally Bulgaria and Global Promoters ISC have agreed a solution to the problem of the date of Rally Bulgaria. The event will finish on Saturday 10th, the day before the football World Cup. This has enabled the lists of all the world level rally activities in 2010 to be released by the FIA. As announced earlier, the original decision of the FIA in 2007 that the 2010 would consist of 12 rallies has been superceded, now there will be thirteen.

Main characteristics of 2010 are expected to be:
a) from two asphalt events in 2009 there will now be four
b) the first half of the season will be essentially long-haul, Only two Europe rounds in the first six events in the series will be run. Without exception all the second half of the season will be run in Europe.
c) all six events in the first half of the season will be winter or gravel rallies. Four of the seven events in the second part will be asphalt
d) with the exception of Rally Bulgaria, there will be a two month midsummer gap, while the television world enjoys the football
e) Bulgaria is the first first-timer in the championship since Jordan in 2008.
f) ‘Classic’ events missing from the series in 2010 are Monte Carlo (by their own request), Acropolis, Argentina and Italy, excluded under the rotation system against their wishes.
g) Five of the six events listed for the JWRC will count, six of the nine events (including two outside Europe) listed in the PCWRC are to count. In the Super 2000 World Cup, seven out of ten are to count, including 2 outside Europe.
h) there is a widespread imbalance as to how many of the subsidiary series will qualify on individual world rallies. Germany and France count for all four, Turkey, Bulgaria and Spain for only one...!

A three week gap between events is being planned, and according to the initial list of proposed F1 events, it seems a large number of WRC events will be held on the same weekend as F1 events Final confirmation as to calendars, together with the list of IRC events in 2010 and event rules are to issued by the World Motor Sport Council at their meeting on 21st October.

3mmm