by Jaggy Bunnet (31 Jan 00)

There I was, clinging to the ceiling by finger and toe nails, and teeth tearing lumps out of the Artex. But it was when the plaster gave way and I fell to the floor that the blinding flash of white light was followed by an instant of peace, tranquility and inner illumination.

Even as the doctor put away his road tanker syringe with the broken half-shaft needle, my pain-numbed brain was wrestling with the sheer simplicity of the idea. At one fell swoop I had solved the biggest problem facing British rallying. More specifically, how to identify and develop the under-nurtured talent that undoubtedly exists in the great British forests.

Forget Peugeot's "Young Lions" and Seat's "Super Six". Good as these ideas were at the time, there was little support and no follow-up.

Forget also the various one-make championships. These marketing-led initiatives are intended to make certain models sexy. The only speed the manufacturers are interested in is their speed out of showrooms. Be honest, how do you make the Lada, Skoda, Daihatsu Cuore or even the Ford Ka sexy?

As a means of going rallying at an affordable price the one-makes do have something to offer. But as soon as a manufacturer withdraws its support the value of the cars plummets overnight, leaving owners with uncompetitive machinery and a growing list of "unsolds" in the back page of Motoring News.

Therein lies the problem. Formula Ford has been going for 30 years. Most of the other one-make single-seaters have staying power too, but as soon as you introduce saloons, the egg-timer is tipped upside down. One facelift later and the older cars are out of date and out of favour with bonus schemes, trade support and prize money. OK, you have a bit of fun for two or three years, and if you've got the money, you can trade up. There's no room for talent alone in this game.

The secret of the single-seater success lies in the fact that no matter what you do to them, they still look the same. All you need is a feeding trough, a packet of fibreglass, four wheels and a greasy, noisy bit and you're in business.

That's what rallying needs. Longevity and commitment. But with manufacturers pushing their own products we daren't leave it to them. It needs the clout of the sport's governing body to get a simple, competitive, affordable, attractive, formula off the start-line - and then stick with it!

In the 70s, Ford used to give the winners of the British, Scottish, Welsh and Irish stage championships a works drive or works-supported drive in an international. More recently, Peugeot's 205 Challenge was one of the best one-make series around with start money, prize money, tuition and a prize drive at the end of it. More than that, both those schemes presented winners with a chance to show their skills in front of works team managers.

What chance have talented British youngsters got at the moment? None. Just look at the way motor racing is developing with teams like McLaren getting right in at the karting end of things, which leads naturally on to a logical track to the top. Provided, of course, you are good looking, promotable, date super-models, are media friendly and have oodles of cash or a rich daddy. Oh, and you also need a bit of talent.

In the rougher cut and thrust of rallying there is no such help. We need a simple 1600cc formula where any front-wheel drive car, regardless of manufacturer, is eligible to compete. We need an independent source of funding (so we're not dependent on one manufacturer) and a commitment from the organisers to push and promote the series. Anyone can take part, but only those under 25 would be eligible for prize-drive points.

In other words, you can bring in a couple of quick "oldies" who can either set the pace or be cuffed by the youngsters. Either way, you've got a yardstick to judge them by.

Now, I bet you're all thinking I'm still on the pain-killers or the woodworm has got under my crash hat, but how do I propose stopping the rich kids throwing money at engine builders to come up with trouser-bursting 1600s?

Simple. Limit the wheel rim width. I reckon five-inch rims with nothing wider than 175 tyres would do the business. Too much power would induce wheelspin and rip tyres to shreds. It would also stop manufacturers building class-winning specials.

Cars would never be out of date, and would still be competitive amongst newer models. The series would be cheap to run and highlight talent over mechanical sophistication. And if everyone gets behind it we can make sure the works teams are kept informed.

Isn't it criminal that, in the country which leads the world in race and rally car building, our own homegrown talent plays second choice to gum chewing, white-blond, sun bronzed, pasta eating, white spirit swilling imports with funny accents?

Now where did the doc leave the rest of the pain-killers? My brain hurts.

Yer auld pal,

Jaggy.

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