In December 2020 John Naylor was appointed because the unusual President of the FIA Historic Motor Sport Rate, taking up from Paolo Cantarella, who had held the put up since 2014. John Naylor brings with him a wealth of ride as a competitor, engineer and official, both in his native Ireland and on the global stage, to the role.
We caught up with him ahead of the important round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship in Italy, the Sanremo Rallye Storico, which will compile underway on Friday 9th April.
Q1: Can you articulate us a bit of about your background earlier than being elected President of the FIA Historic Motor Sport Rate?
John Naylor: “I’ve been a member of Historic Motor Sport Rate for over 10 years and I’m in my fourth year as President of Motor Sport Ireland. This is my second term as I was moreover president in 2004. I’ve moreover chaired the Hill Climb Committee and the Technical Rate, I’ve been a scrutineer and a clerk of the path for racing, rallying, hill ice climbing and karting. I’ve moreover been a steward for Historic F1, Historic Sportscars and Hill Climbs for the past eight years.
“I’ve moreover competed. Hill Climb was my important sport for just a few years, and I performed second in the Irish championship in my most nice year. I moreover raced in the latter segment of my occupation; so, the final cars I raced was a Lola 91/50 F3000 with a little block chevy in it, which I calm have. I’ve a System Ford 2000, which is expecting an engine to enter it, and an 86 Reynard System Ford. I produce other cars for both racing and hill ice climbing.”
Q2: What are your aims in your first term as President of the FIA Historic Motor Sport Rate?
John Naylor: “The tremendous intention is to compile historical motorsport up and working again and to be tremendous that that our championships if truth be told attain happen. There has been a kind of exhausting work to compile the FIA COVID-19 protocols approved and implemented. The tremendous intention is to make definite our championships if truth be told scuttle in 2021.”
Q3: All forms of motor sport were plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, including historical motor sport. What’s the cost doing to abet organisers of historical occasions, especially rallying, to enable the various championships to scuttle in 2021?
JN: “The FIA administration, primarily Vincent Caro and Arnaud Crepin, are guiding the organisers each step of the fashion and liaising between them and the COVID-19 compliance laid down by the FIA to be tremendous that handy approaches may maybe well presumably perhaps moreover be performed. It be well-known to recollect the truth that our championships, from circuit racing, to rallying and hill climb, are generally segment of a higher tournament, which just isn’t essentially a world championship as successfully. It may maybe well presumably perhaps moreover be moderately grand and all individuals in Geneva is working exhausting to be tremendous that the occasions can fling ahead.”
Q4: How will the FIA promote the European Historic Rally Championship to enable the championship to develop in the following few years?
JN: “2021 is no longer the year to recall to mind grunt, even supposing I’m alive to on grunt. At the second we’ve got to make definite the present occasions are supported and scuttle internal the COVID-19 protocols. We want to compile to the stay of the pandemic, with everybody getting vaccinations, then we can initiate to assume how we’ll develop the championship. Having mentioned that, even below these refined cases, we’ve got obtained entries from unusual competitors ahead of the important rally in Italy, which is one other correct label that we’re entering into the upright path.
“The FIA is moreover being proactive, offering the organisers and competitors with unusual tools for registering, we’re taking a scrutinize at attracting more media protection and more video sides on each of the rallies all around the web pickle and social media channels, making the championship more considered. All these things fling in the direction of making the EHRC more favorite, which in turn brings more competitors.
“Regarded as one of many opposite things we’re taking a scrutinize to embody is one other gravel rally on the calendar, no longer for this year or, presumably, no longer even for 2022, but for the mid-term. This is able to abet develop the station of the championship.”
Q5: The Historic Motor Sport Rate voted in favour of changing the name of the championship, losing the be conscious ‘Sporting’ from the title. What was the cause for this replace?
JN: “The short answer is it was modified to make the title shorter and less complicated. In all individuals’s mind rally is a sporting and traipse competition, so for this championship we wanted the title to be as relate and short as most likely. For the regularity rallies we withhold the be conscious regularity in the title, but in total rally is a sporting and traipse competition, so it just isn’t needed to aid it in the title.”
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