Your chance to get up close

World Rally Championship launch in the UK is a masterstoke

So the news is out: the wraps will come off the new World Rally Championship season at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham next season. What a proactive step this is.

The way to create a buzz and attention surrounding a series is not to launch to a select group of media who have been ferried to some exclusive part of the world. The way to do it is to put it slap bang in front of thousands of pairs of eyes, and that is exactly what will happen in 2018.

Sure, the media work will be done during the show’s trade days, but the stars and the cars will hang around for the remainder of the weekend for the fans to meet and share their excitement with. It is just the sort of forward-looking attitude from the promoters that will do nothing but benefit the series, and it has the spin-off of keeping the fans at the heart of the anticipation and excitement. You never really need an excuse to go to the Autosport International Show, but now there is an utterly compelling reason.