Compromise over rally will be hard

For months now they have been engaged in a running battle with residents living on the routes, and any thoughts that these issues would disappear once the cars were on the start line were perhaps over-optimistic.

After all, they’d been dealing with broken tape and signs right up to the off.

The prolonged wrangling over the Rally was disappointing to see for an island community. It doesn't show Guernsey at its best.

But suggest car racing at high speeds in any road in the island – even highly controlled and just for a couple of hours – and it’s likely that the majority of residents would say they don’t want it.

There are mixed messages out there as to whether Guernsey Rally 2024 will happen, and mixed feedback over the way the organisers went about their consultation with course neighbours.

But as we’re unlikely to see a sudden rise in enthusiasm for the sport, or a culture of acceptance emerging, discussions over an event next year need to be starting very soon, with as a wide a range of engagement as possible.

Then, even if every resident is still unhappy, they need to feel that everything possible has been done to assuage their concerns.