Even in the paddock area where fans could get really close to the cars, there was nobody selling tickets. I spent much of my time in the paddock with the famed Subaru team, where I watched the crew change the transmission of Scottish star Richard Burns' car in an astonishing 15 minutes. Even the most proficient Subaru dealer would have trouble matching that level of service. Subaru didn't have much luck in Spain, picking up a single championship point. The event was won by veteran frenchman Didier Auriol in a Peugeot.
Top teams have huge support vehicles and even suppliers provide very extensive backup.
Tire maker Pirelli, which supplies many of the top WRC teams, boasted a fleet of trucks that would have done a Formula One race proud. Teams like Ford and Subaru use rallying to publicize their cars and to carry out research that results in better everyday vehicles. Subaru has even launched a new Impreza, the WRX, in Canada with a specification inspired by the rally team's cars. The WRX has so much power and such a worthwhile level of handling it wouldn't need much modification to compete successfully at the club level. In addition to international rallying, Subaru is a hot competitor in the Canadian Rally Championship which is growing in prestige and attracting more public interest.