They will offer a five-year calendar extension to the rally that comes up with the most unusual setting for a special stage and are urging rally organisers not to hold back when considering the ultimate stage location.
Sat 01 Apr 2023
ERC bosses go in search of weird and wonderful stage locations
Inspired by Rally Islas Canarias organisers routing part of their event-opening super special stage through a basketball stadium, FIA European Rally Championship bosses are using 1 April as the day to call on other rounds of the series to get even more creative.
“For a championship that once included a stage within a UN Buffer Zone, nothing is off-limits and we’re really looking forward to receiving the first proposals from our much-valued event organisers,” said ERC Championship Manager Iain Campbell. “As long as the stage meets all the usual safety requirements, we’ll give every submission serious consideration and hand a five-year contract extension to the best proposal.
“We’ve already had a few preliminary discussions with our event organisers. We can’t say too much right now but the rally that has proposed closing a major international airport for a floodlit super special is already an early contender for the contract extension.
“We’ve also heard from one event organiser who is planning to convert an old athletics track into a stage and another who has permission to build a stage in a theme park with a section of the stage built alongside an actual rollercoaster track.”
The image of the ski-jumping hill located at the Tehvandi Sports Center in Otepää, Estonia, is taken from the FIAERC archive and appears for inspirational purposes only.
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