WRGB calls for WRC timing system probe after weekend collapse.
Wales Rally GB is calling for the FIA to initiate a formal investigation to report on the official WRC timing system, following reports that the management system deployed by the FIA’s appointed supplier was apparently hacked during the last weeks otherwise highly successful finale to the 2013 world championship....
The final results for the International event were not available for several hours after the rally ended: results for the 2 National events which ran alongside the WRC contest are not expected to be ready until later this week.
The safety tracking service was unaffected: had that come under attack the rally would have had to be cancelled.
Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of Wales Rally GB organisers IMS, says it’s important to establish what went wrong.
“We’re very disappointed, not least for our competitors. We’re running a major sporting event and failures like this, whatever the cause, tend to be blamed on the event. But this is absolutely not the fault of Wales Rally GB. We are required to use and pay for the full costs of the Championship system. We are of the view that the system has features, particularly in relation to vehicle tracking, which represent a step forward for our sport. However, if, as has been reported, the system has been subject to a hacking attack, which is not unusual during major sporting events, then it is vital that the provider ensures that every possible security measure and safeguard is put in place to avoid this situation happening again in the future. For the moment we are still awaiting a formal explanation, or apology, for what went wrong.
IMS are now working to manually process the results for the national events using raw data obtained from our own time card system and we apologise for the delay and inconvenience this has caused the amateur teams and crews who have supported Wales Rally GB this year. We are aiming to finalise and publish these results within the next 24-48 hours.”