Bruno Famin believes the decision to ban maps inside of cars for the 2018 Dakar Rally is ‘unsportsmanlike’, and says the change could end up turning the event into a lottery.
The Peugeot Sport Director was critical of the decision to ban any kind of map, with crews being forced to rely on the event-supplied GPS system and road book, and he believes the rules have been changed to supply unexpected results.
Peugeot head into the 2018 event as favourites and are fielding four strong drivers in Stephane Peterhansel, Sebastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz Sr. and Cyril Despres, but Famin feels the rule change is aimed to punish those who are the most successful.
“I do not take this change of regulations as something personal at all. But I take it as something unsportsmanlike, totally,” said Famin. “They unfortunately want things to happen. Anything.
“They do not want the same leader the first day, [they want] that there is an opportunity for someone to get lost. For me, that’s not sport.
“In any category, who wins is the most punished. There are many categories like that. It is normal. But the subject of the maps I do not understand. It makes the Dakar turn into a lottery.
“I think that is what they are looking for, an unexpected result. It’s the only way I can understand their decision.”
