The Federation Internationale de l’Autombile (FIA) earlier this year implemented the fuel safety tank rule intended to further strengthen safety measures in rally.
And the African Rally Championship (ARC), the rule required that all championship contenders had to fit their cars with a safety fuel tanks; or be it the FT3 saver cells.
With exemptions for the early part of the 2018 season, the rule came into full effect during the fifth round in June.
However, the implementation of the rule proved more than unpopular among the officials and crews; raising mixed reactions as well except from the powers that be.
While at the FIA Sports Congress in Rwanda last month, FIA president Jean Todt justified the time of implementation of the rule.
“Safety is priority. We have been talking about the tanks for a long time. We have been facilitating and allocating funds for that matter. So we will not compromise safety.
“Just imagine if we lose somebody in a middle of the season because we are putting safety measures on pending. It had to start immediately,” he told Kawowo Sports.
Todt further confessed the plans for ARC to become a strong championship.
“For me rally in Africa is a priority. You know thats why we are working so hard to produce another WRC in Africa soon. So we cannot be down on Safety.
“We have put a lot of effort in the Africa Rally Championship. We need to organise a championship with seven rallies. And we are working with a pyramid of the championship. But we need to have homologated car.
“We are optimistic that with the new pyramid we will be able to put up a strong african championship,” said Todt.
That may have been Todt’s stance and vision for a championship that continues to struggle with numbers.
Richard Leeke, a member of FIA Rally Commission in charge of the African championship believes the regulation will not make good of the continent’s competition.
“ These tanks are quite an investment on addition to the ARC logistics. And many cars in Africa don’t have these tanks because they were built some years ago.
“For example in my country where S1600 cars make up the main championship, they will not be eligible for home ARC round anymore without the tanks,” says Leeke.
FIA’s push to get the regulation enforced got the world governing body offering tanks to african federations.
Certainly the shot in arm was to get ASNs complying to the regulation. But seemingly, there could have been a lack of foresight.
“The fact is the implementation of the rule was sudden to many crews since it had remained a proposal for sometime.
“However, the effect of the tanks will also depend on number of the crews doing the championship through out. If they are few, we shall be seeing less ARC entries if it’s left open it will be otherwise,” says Leeke.
The drawback on what seems a good safety measure does help much a championship that is now being dominated by one man.
Even still, doubt is already being cast on their usefulness following the horrific fires that gutted two WRC cars in Rally Turkey this month.
Affordability too remains an issue. The whole cost with fitting inclusive could go up to USD 3000. For a local Ugandan driver to spend the same amount of money on a saver cell all in the interest of competiting on the Africa circuit remains an error of judgement.
With or without the saver cells, the ARC is in truth struggling. About two or three drivers have shown commitment to the championship over the past years, driving almost every race or at least a great percentage of the races.
FIA’s willingness to push for safety measures may be justifiably good, but there is no doubt that one component on a car is going to change the face of an entire championship and leave it limping.