PRAISE FOR ERC’S ROME RETURN
Teams and drivers were united in their praise of the Rally di Roma Capitale organisers as international rallying restarted in Italy last week.
The opening round of the European Rally Championship had to conform to a strict Covid19 protocol in order for the event to get the necessary local and national government approval.
Measures included regular temperature checks, hand sanitiser points, compulsory wearing of face masks, a barcode-based tracking system and effectively running the event behind closed doors by cancelling all fan-focused activities.
M-sport Ford World Rally Team boss Richard Millener was in Rome to oversee Adrien Fourmaux’s ERC entry and Massimo Pedretti’s participation in the separate Rally Stars event in a
Ford Fiesta WRC.
“I wouldn’t have fancied the job of the organisers but congratulations to them for pushing through and doing this,” Millener told Motorsport News. “The protocols that are in place are quite robust but sensible, enough to make sure we are adhering to the regulations because it’s the first time a lot of people from different countries have come together. It shows the sport of rallying is sensible enough and professional enough to make sure we do all we can to make sure we’re not putting anybody at risk.”
Oliver Ciesla, the outgoing boss of WRC Promoter, visited Rally de Roma Capitale and Millener said he’d be giving him his feedback.
“It’s not just about what has gone well and what hasn’t,” Millener said. “It’s about the practicalities and tweaking things for the better. And hopefully there are minimal tweaks because the organisers have covered things in huge detail and I respect them.”