North One Television (owner of International Sportsworld Communicators) CEO Neil Duncanson feels the next three months are crucial for the WRC
Speaking in Autosport magazine Neil Duncunson, CEO North One Television - the owner of WRC rights holder ISC - commented that the decisions made in the next three months by the FIA will leave an indelible mark on the sport.
Duncunson confirmed ISC would be bidding for the promoters position after further interest from other interested parties has forced the FIA to run a tendering process.
Duncunson commented in Autosport:
I'm disappointed this hasn't been sorted out. But it hasn't and we have to move on. This sport is at a tipping point right now. Decisions taken in the coming months will send this sport one way or the other.
Right now, WRC has an extraodinarily bright future. We have major investment planned in the sport and we have everybody going in the same direction. If this sport has to wait until 2011 for a promoter, it's quite possible it will tip back the other way. That's not an implied threat to those involved in the decision-making process. It's the way it is, as far as I can see."
Duncunson added that, if ISC won the tender, he would seek to start work as the promoter in 2009, not 2010:
We would want to start as early as possible and, having the commercial rights, this would make sense. People talk about the promoter like some Harry Potter type figure coming in to wave a magic wand and turn WRC into F1. It's not going to be like that. But it's not going to take as long as everybody thinks. I reckon, If we got the nod next year, we could have it turned around by 2010."
The tendering process was opened, by the FIA, on the 16th October until November 15th with the winner being announced at Rally Ireland in February. The contract for the new promoter starts on January 1st 2011 when the ISC's rights ownership ends on December 31st 2010.
Article: Autosport
According to GPweek.com, notification of the decision to appoint the global promoter will be made on 24th January 2009. It also states that the promoter will have to ensure that at least three manufactures take part in the WRC and the agreement will last for ten years. Also, a standard regulatory fee and a licence fee will have to be paid to the FIA by the promoter.
It is understood that there are three interested parties who will bid for the tender. They are ISC, Eurosport Events and the Valueaddgroup (a consortium headed by Armin Schwarz).
Ford and Citroen have welcomed the news about the global promoter but have yet to commit to the series as feel a number of demands have to be met.
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