Organizers pull the plug on Euro Rally Challenge

After three relatively unsuccessful seasons the organizers have pulled the plug on the Euro Rally Challenge. That was the decision made by the Dutch Initiators Erik Wevers and Mark van Eldik in consultation with cup coordinator Bart Hissink. Wevers took the ERC crown twice (2008 and 2009) while Mark van Eldik was the 2010 winner.

The original plan for the Euro Rally Challenge was fantastic. A 6 events series divided over 3 different countries (The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany). Each country was acknowledged two events and these events were expected to be sure of a strong foreign contingent of entrants. For the second season the organizers switched to a format of six events in six countries but for the 2010 season they switched back to the original idea.

In all three seasons the Challenge never had any real luck. The hoped for entries from abroad were very disappointing. Cup coordinator Bart Hissink was sidelined long after a horrifying crash during the 2009 Sezoens Rally. Mark van Eldik also had to recover from a big crash in the 2008 Hellendoorn Rally. The challenge suffered from these setbacks and slipped into the darkness of cancelling events and entrants staying away from events.

In the first week of the year 2011 Erik Wevers announced that the Euro Rally Challenge had ceased to exist.