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Is WRC as popular amongst the broader F1 fanbase as previously?


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#1 V8 Fireworks

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 03:44

I notice there is a strong rallying thread on the page here but TBH I can't really be bothered to go in there.

 

Such emotive road-rally icons as the Lancer Evolution Tommi Makinen, Lancia Integrale Evo and WRX STi 22B (and household names like McRae) seem a thing of distant memory, replaced by Polos and Fiestas that bear little in common with their roadgoing variants...  The last time the world rally championship was featured on mainstream sports bulletins (in Australia at least) seems almost too long to recall, the first leg of the Monte Carlo rally for instance seems to have long slipped from major headline sporting news.  :well:

 

Once upon a time the WRC was compulsory viewing for F1 fans... any more the case??

 

It's a shame really, I think.

 

* Waits for rally enthusiasts to suggest it is bigger and better than ever! *


Edited by V8 Fireworks, 06 June 2014 - 03:46.


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#2 fZero

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 03:54

I'm from Australia too. I really liked to keep up with WRC when the used to cover it on Wide World of Sports which was in the early 90s.

 

Since then it's always appealed to me but the coverage in Australia has always been so bad that it wasn't easy to follow and it slipped from my radar long ago.



#3 Myrvold

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 04:05

* Waits for rally enthusiasts to suggest it is bigger and better than ever! *

 

I really hope that won't happen. While WRC miiight be on a positive trend when it comes to manufacturer drives now, it's far far far far from great. And the problem I feel is that they start to notice WRX, and try to make Rally compete with RX, which is impossible. Instead of trying to make WRC more like RX, they should go the other way, make rally more like it was 20 years ago.



#4 eronrules

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 04:43

nop, what i see is Indycar is rapidly becoming the second choice for many upcoming and veteran F1 fans because it's a lot of fun to watch and competition is high.

 

wrc ... ogiers domination is not as good as loebs one (VR domination vs MM domination or MSC domination vs SV domination) ... it's hard to put a finger on what's missing. we (or rather i) didn't mind the loeb domination even though i didn't like him that much, but to me back then the field was great, markus, martin, solberg were great to watch. now though, i just read stuff from AS and other webs. the cars aren't good looking, mostly small hatchbacks. i miss subarus or xsaras. they were big and good looking. recent cars look like RCs .



#5 Dipster

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 06:51

I am probably alone in this but I do not approve of rallying on public roads.  It is too dangerous.  I love rallycross (and would like to see longer heats) and think this provides the challenge of mixed-surface driving.



#6 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 06:57

It lost my interest a long time ago. There was a time in the late 90s when I had bought Colin McRae Rally on my Playstation, that on Sunday evenings I could put Eurosport on and see highlights from a WRC round. There were a few familiar manufacturers and a few drivers in the hunt for a win every time.

 

Over the next decade I just got the feeling that nobody except Loeb and Citroen were interested in the WRC, especially once Gronholm left Ford. I couldn't watch it easily anywhere. Now I try to take an interest occasionally but it just doesn't work.



#7 Radion

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 07:01

I used to follow it. 

Back when the gronholms, the sainzs, the mcraes, the burns were still there. The current wrc misses characters like these... :(


Edited by Radion, 06 June 2014 - 07:02.


#8 AlexLangheck

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:04

I don’t think it is just F1 fans; your ‘average’ Motorsport fan doesn’t really follow the WRC anymore. All the things that made it almost a ‘must see’ have gone.

It also doesn’t help that the teams, promoter & FiA all seem to be pulling in opposite directions.

Edited by AlexLangheck, 06 June 2014 - 12:45.


#9 SenorSjon

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:28

It is because it is no longer road relevant. ;) :p

 

I really miss those homologation models on the streets. We are now in some kind of eco mode and fuel prices are very high here. The new generation seems to have lost it's love for cars. And racing with B-class cars instead of C doesn't help either. I fondly remember the Celica and it's roadgoing models based on it.



#10 Sheepmachine

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:33

I started following it in 2001, all the different cars (Subarus, peugots,Fords etc) and all the great drivers (Burns,Gronholm,McRae,Sainz etc),the great events ( Monaco, Corsica, San Remo, Safari, Rally gb etc) there was even good tv (Bbc channel 4) it was great. But gradually the drivers dissapeared, the manufacturers dissapeared, the classic events left or got neutered and the TV was ruined. I still follow it as best as I can and I still enjoy it from time to time but the magic has gone sadly. :( I don't know what they need to do really. If they make it more mainstream again, maybe have an epic event in it of the equivalent of like the TT (see what ITV have done for that) it might revive it more than some wacky idea where most of the rally doesn't count. :|

#11 tifosiMac

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:46

How do we follow rallying these days? I remember watching it as a kid but I haven't seen any rallying on TV for years now. Is it shown in the middle of the night or something?



#12 Sheepmachine

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:50

How do we follow rallying these days? I remember watching it as a kid but I haven't seen any rallying on TV for years now. Is it shown in the middle of the night or something?

Well in the UK you can watch it on Bt Sport (Live powerstage, Day roundups) or highlights on Itv4 on like a Tuesday or a Wednesday after the rally about 8pmish. :)

#13 Henri Greuter

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 08:53

As insane as they were, I consider myself lucky to have been able to follow the Gp B era.

I know the current cars are about as fast but they don't appeal to me anymore.

And `my brand` doesn't compete anymore either...

 

Henri



#14 pacificquay

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 09:23

The deaths of McRae and Burns essentially killed much of the mainstream interest



#15 BRG

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 09:37

I wonder who all those people are who turn out in their tens of thousands to watch WRC rounds?
Not F1 fans apparently.

#16 Spillage

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 09:39

I don't know if this is the case, but it isn't for me. So far as I can tell the WRC is not easy to find on TV and although I admired Loeb as much as the next man I just couldn't get into a series in which one man is so dominant. My secondary series are Indycar and MotoGP but then, I like circuit racing and can't really speak for anyone else.

#17 P123

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 09:56

Poor TV coverage lets the WRC down, among many other things.  I think that's turned many avid followers in to casual followers.  But thousands still turn out to watch the events live so there is strong interest wherever they go.



#18 chunder27

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 10:17

I don't really think it has much to do with tv coverage.

 

WRC has been on just about every channel in the UK, C4, ITV,. C5. Gold, Sky, Eurosport. and for some reason cannot sustain an audience on there for long enough for tv companies to renew contracts.

 

Maybe the promoter (Red Bull group) are charging tool much and doing a great job of selling it to tv companies using dodgy viewing figures, coz it rarely gets renewed, and it is always new teams like BT that snap it up to fill out schedules.

 

Domination has dne it no favours, does no series any favours. And the lack of Brits doesnt help in the UK, for some reason we identified more with Colin and Richard, even Solberg adn Gronholm than we do with Meeke, Ogier, Hirvonen etc.

 

The rallies are well attended locally, and I think that is where it should stay.

 

Sports like rallycross, drifting (dull as hell but popular) supercross, monster trucks are far easier to cover, look better on telly and appeal to a mass tv audience far more.

 

Myself, I have been to watch a couple of rallies recently, very local stuff near to me and its great fun, free to get in, wander about, see the wildlife, explore the venue and see some great cars driven well.

 

I just personally dont think it works on tv, as very many channels have found out. ANd noone likes one bloke winning all the time, especially in the best car with the biggest budget, do they Citroen in WTCC? Audi in WEC? Red Bull in F1?  Domination turns people off, pure and simple



#19 Bartonz20let

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 10:21

I have bt and didn't realise it was on... Says it all really

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#20 HuddersfieldTerrier1986

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 10:24

Personally I've never been interested in WRC (despite having Colin MacRae Rally on the PC many years ago), but 1 of the reasons is that it lasts for what, 3 or 4 days? Well, that's not the issue per se, more that it lasts that long but basically you see naff all of it on TV, you can't follow it properly, whereas pretty much any other form of motorsport that I can think of, you can follow on TV over a 2-3 day period (well, even if it's just the race, but at least you can see the race, whereas with WRC you can't really see anything and therefore can't really follow it in the same way)



#21 rhukkas

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 10:44

- Cars all look the same, they all sound the same, they are pretty dull to watch.

 

- Much more competition from well packaged easy to digest motorsports.

 

- No big personalities.

 

And that's why WRC is no longer popular.



#22 tifosiMac

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 11:05

Well in the UK you can watch it on Bt Sport (Live powerstage, Day roundups) or highlights on Itv4 on like a Tuesday or a Wednesday after the rally about 8pmish. :)

I have BT sport as part of my broadband package but have to admit I rarely use it due to it being a pain to set up each time I want to watch something. Highlights on ITV4 sound better so perhaps I'll look out for it and give it a go :)



#23 Dunc

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 11:36

I think a lot of non-F1 motorsport goes through phases of intense popularity then kind of fades.  I remember BTTC and WRC were extremely popular when I was a teen in the 90s but they have nothing like that attention now.  I think DTM and WEC might be going through a similar period in the limelight now.



#24 rhukkas

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 12:15

WEC and DTM are no where near as popular as the BTCC (in the UK) and the WRC were in their prime.



#25 Frank Tuesday

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 13:20

My interest declined when they started changing tradition aspects of rallying.  Power Stage and Rally 2 (or SuperRally as it was originally called) sucked most of my enjoyment out of it.  I also hated to see the end of mixed surface rallys.  Lastly, I understand why they did it for cost reasons, but reusing the same stage multiple times bothers me as well.



#26 superden

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 13:46

Such emotive road-rally icons as the Lancer Evolution Tommi Makinen, Lancia Integrale Evo and WRX STi 22B (and household names like McRae) seem a thing of distant memory, replaced by Polos and Fiestas that bear little in common with their roadgoing variants...

 
I grew up watching the Quattro S1, 205 T16 and Delta S4. Aside of the odd panel/window and a nod to appearance, they had no relation to road going cars whatsoever. The WRC, quite simply, is not Grp N (as was).
 
The problem with the modern WRC is two-fold. Firstly, shockingly poor TV coverage (not even a mainstream rally round up like you had on Top Gear or Grandstand) means that accessing coverage and information is a chore. Mumble all you like about 'modern media' ... if you arent getting decent TV time, even the serious fanbase will struggle to bother watching, never mind the casual or first time viewer. Secondly, the cars are perceived as easy to drive and dull to look at. I love rallying, but I much prefer seeing 'amateurs' in Mk2 Escorts on the limit to a Polo WRC making it look like its a drive to the local Sainsburys. As with all motorsport, it has become so professional that it just looks too easy.
 
I'll take Simon McKinley flat out over the WRC any day of the week:
 
http://youtu.be/vwl40XFvpLE
 


Edited by superden, 06 June 2014 - 13:57.


#27 king_crud

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 14:22

I have bt and didn't realise it was on... Says it all really

 

I have BT Sport and have tried to watch the coverage, but it's just.......dull. Really really dull. And I've been a massive fan of rallying over the years. A dull product with dull coverage unfortunately.



#28 Myrvold

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 14:28

It is too dangerous.

Life is too dangerous. What would the life be without any danger at all. Dull, predictable and boring!



#29 BRG

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 18:32

I think for 'the broader F1 fanbase' to be criticising WRC when F1 itself is haemorrhaging spectators, TV audiences, sponsors etc is just a little ironic. 



#30 George Costanza

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 23:01

WRC is a shadow of what it was...

 

The 80s had Group B, Audi S1 and the likes.

 

1990s had some incredbile drivers and lot of car makers.



#31 George Costanza

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 23:02

I think for 'the broader F1 fanbase' to be criticising WRC when F1 itself is haemorrhaging spectators, TV audiences, sponsors etc is just a little ironic. 

 

To be fair, they are both in a general decline.



#32 George Costanza

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Posted 06 June 2014 - 23:04

WEC and DTM are no where near as popular as the BTCC (in the UK) and the WRC were in their prime.

 

DTM's peak was 1990s. Some absolutely incredbile races there. Even at the old N'ring.



#33 Dipster

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 05:54

Life is too dangerous. What would the life be without any danger at all. Dull, predictable and boring!

My point, that I did not enlarge upon, is that it is too dangerous for others. I am quite happy to take risks but only if the one who pays the consequences should it go wrong is me. Not spectaors etc..



#34 BRG

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 09:35

1990s had some incredbile drivers and lot of car makers.

Rose tinted glasses? There are four carmakers at present plus Toyota in the wings with a new WRC. When were there more in the series?

Edited by BRG, 07 June 2014 - 09:36.


#35 PayasYouRace

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 09:51

Rose tinted glasses? There are four carmakers at present plus Toyota in the wings with a new WRC. When were there more in the series?

 

I distinctly remember at least one year with Mitsubishi, Toyota, Subaru, Ford, Seat, Skoda, Peugeot and Hyundai.

 

But I think the problem is that there doesn't seem to be much fuss made by either the WRC or the manufacturers themselves about who's taking part right now.



#36 sosidge

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 13:33

 
I grew up watching the Quattro S1, 205 T16 and Delta S4. Aside of the odd panel/window and a nod to appearance, they had no relation to road going cars whatsoever. The WRC, quite simply, is not Grp N (as was).
 

 

But you could at least buy one of those cars - homologation specials were real road cars, albeit fantasy ones.

 

I could write a long treatise on rallying's popularity, but I won't. Basically times have changed, and multi-day rallies will never be popular on TV again.


Edited by sosidge, 07 June 2014 - 13:34.


#37 Collombin

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 13:38

I think it was Grand Prix International magazine's extensive coverage of rallying that got me into it during the awesome Group B era. Their coverage of speedboat racing was less influential.

The RAC Rally always got prominent TV coverage too, which helped. Nowadays I don't even know if the event is still run, let alone which of the 5000 channels might happen to show it.

#38 Myrvold

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Posted 07 June 2014 - 15:33

Rose tinted glasses? There are four carmakers at present plus Toyota in the wings with a new WRC. When were there more in the series?

However it's usually 2 factory cars and privateers/rich guys in 'factory seats'. VW is not a part of that, Hyundai just recently added a third car to get more milage.
Back then you had 3-4 Peugeot's (I know that technically Rovanpäre on tarmac/Panizzi on gravel was Bozian/Grifone-run), 3-4, even 5 Fords where at least 4 of them had talent/experience and not a pay driver, 3-4 Subarus .- usually stars/young talents + Arai, 3 Mitsubishis on some occasions, 3-4 Hyundais, 3-4 Skoda's (they did actually run 4 Skodas at one time, for Gardemeister, Eriksson, Pozzo and Blomqvist ). Would've liked to added SEAT as well, but they left early. And Citroën with 3-4 cars.That could, in a good rally mean 4 Peugeot, 5 Ford, 4 Subaru, 3 Mitsubishi, 4 Hyundai, 4 Skoda and 3 Citroën. That's 24 cars coming from the teams themselves.
Then you add lot's of private Corolla's in the early 2000's, then from 01/02 and onwards lot's of privateer Peugeot's and Fords, even some Hyundais.

And example can be 2005. Citroën with 2 cars, Ford with 4, Subaru with 3, Peugeot with 3 (and 4 in two rallies), Mitusbishi with 2.5 (2 on gravel events, 3 on tarmac), Skoda with 3. 17 factory cars.
Then OMV with 2 Citroëns part-time, Stobart with 2 Fords part-time, Bozian with 3 Peugeot's part-time, M-sport running a single Ford extra, part-time for Hirvonen. Then I seem to remember 4 Hyundais showing up in Turkey. 
That's a lot of teams and effort. Then you add all the regular one-off, maybe 2 race-drivers that existed then, with cars that ranged from a Evo 4 Mitsubishi to a 2004 Ford.

 

I seem to remember seeing someone actually using a Legacy in a one-off WRC event into the 2000's.

 

Compared to 2014. VW runs 3 cars. Citroën 2. Ford 2. Hyundai 3.

Then you have RK WRT with one car. Jipocar with 2 cars, one part-time. Citroën Abu Dhabi with one car part-time. M-Sport having 2 cars to run part time, combined, they run less than a full programme for one car. And you have Henning Solberg, running 4-6 events this year.
Other than that, you have some one-offs, but it's far between. Seeing as M-Sport are the only one that sells their WRC car for a price that drivers can afford by the looks of it.

Then, when you add in that Ford isn't Ford, but M-Sport, basically a privateer team now, and Citroën most likely wouldn't been there if not for Abu Dhabi money due to little factory backing, as the factory backs WTCC.
It's not a big healthy grid compared to what it once used to be. I don't think it helps that there are so few that sells the old cars for privateers to run. It's not like you can drive in your national championship, getting a good sponsor and bring out your 07-spec Skoda Fabia to run your local WRC event.



#39 AlexLangheck

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Posted 08 June 2014 - 10:30

Actually, just look at the early WRC PS2 games; 6/7 Manufacturers - and about 20 drivers....

Now, only VW and Hyundai are full Factory efforts. M-Sport is self financed, and Citroen heavily reliant on AbuDhabi sponsorship, as the dull WTCC is their focus.
Toyota seem to be waiting on the 2017 regs, and most likely whether hybrids are allowed.


The question is, What is the WRC for?? Whereas the WEC sells itself as about new ideas, innovation and different solutions to a problem, the WRC hasn't brought anything groundbreaking or new for years.

And now we have VW chief determined to bring in this ridiculous 'shoot out'..... Oh dear me. It had no place in Rallying - if he doesn't like it, do another sport.

Does any other Motorsport keep shooting itself in the foot so continually?

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#40 Myrvold

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Posted 08 June 2014 - 16:15

My point, that I did not enlarge upon, is that it is too dangerous for others. I am quite happy to take risks but only if the one who pays the consequences should it go wrong is me. Not spectaors etc..

 

Missed this one - well, it's extremely safe, if you follow the guidelines and use some common sense. People who refuse to follow any guidelines and never use common sense, can often end up injured or dead regardless of a rally.



#41 BRG

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 12:28

Actually, just look at the early WRC PS2 games; 6/7 Manufacturers - and about 20 drivers....

Now, only VW and Hyundai are full Factory efforts. M-Sport is self financed, and Citroen heavily reliant on AbuDhabi sponsorship, as the dull WTCC is their focus.
Toyota seem to be waiting on the 2017 regs, and most likely whether hybrids are allowed.


The question is, What is the WRC for?? Whereas the WEC sells itself as about new ideas, innovation and different solutions to a problem, the WRC hasn't brought anything groundbreaking or new for years.

And now we have VW chief determined to bring in this ridiculous 'shoot out'..... Oh dear me. It had no place in Rallying - if he doesn't like it, do another sport.

Does any other Motorsport keep shooting itself in the foot so continually?

You aren't seriously citing a video game as a proper historical record are you?  :drunk:   If so, there were at least nine manufacturers represented in Italy this weekend.  But there have rarely been more than two or three that were genuine contenders in the WRC.

 

As for what the WRC is for, it is for finding the best rally driver/co-driver.  That is what it has always been for.  It has no obligation to be innovative.  The whole point oif rallying is that it is about competition in cars that are (more or less) the same as the one in your driveway.  I know, I know, they stray a long way from that from time to time (|Gp B era for instance) but it remains the point.  Most people could envisage having a Fiesta or a DS3; no-one is going to have a Toyota TS04. 

 

Finally, I do think it a bit ironic that you moan about a lack of innovation in WRC and then immediately complain about Jost Capito suggesting something..... innovative!  :cool:



#42 AlexLangheck

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 15:48

Can't see a problem, merely using it as an example to show there have been times when there were 6/7 full Factory teams, and approx 20 Factory drivers. Just go back to 2001-2003 and Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Ford, Citroen & Subaru all won events. It obviously couldn't last.

I'm not sure in this day just being a competition to find the top driver/ co-driver is enough - it surely has to offer the Manufacturer something. Maybe if the regs allow hybrids in 2017 more will sign up - but I'm not hopeful.

As for Jost Capito and/or RedBull's 'shoot out' - I wouldn't call that innovation; more trying to change the fabric of the sport for their own ends.

#43 DKMoto

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 16:10

The problem is that when you combine all the people around the world who would watch WRC are alot. The problem is that the companies (especially the UK ones) dont know what the Internet is or learn how to use it.

 

So people who actually want to watch will either have to find a torrent after or live-stream it during the day. These companies need to pull their heads out their asses and stream everything online (every stage, every race) for a small fee for HD and free with ads for regular quality.

 

if MotoGP didnt have Spain and Marq Marquez it will be same thing, the British have ruined it for the fans, **** BBC and SKY, stream everything online and charge SKY extra to get raw feed so they can commentate on top of it. Any serious F1 fan is already streaming via sky via a stream for all the races, why? Because FIA and Bernie have their heads up their ass about new technology, and it seems that all the teams dont give a ****, they rather make stupid cartoons for commerials.



#44 BRG

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 19:04

Good to know that it is all the fault of the British.

#45 chunder27

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 19:56

THe British I doubt have any influence in rlalying anymore.

 

Thoise days died with the withdrawal of Subarua dn prodrive and the Mini/BMW debacle, though Wilson is clearly still involved.

 

My opinion remains that WRC has had it's time, it has been a good show in the past and despite what peple write on here vedie games make an immense difference when it comes to awareness and marketing, No-one knew much abotu Skylines, Silvias, Soarers, Supra's before Gran Turismo, after that game a whole new grey import car scene was born, all bacause of a video game and its content bring alive to people the potential of some vehicles.  My uncle for instance would ahve never bought a GTR if he hadnt played Gran Turismo, and most motorsport fans the world over know what Colin McRae rally is and what it did for the sport and for Colin And Subaru!

 

TV footage has consistenyl proved at least in the UK to be good footage but utterly unable to sustain a viewership.

 

There are those that will consistently argue and contest that WRC is as strong as ever and just as good as it's always been.

 

But the vast majority know different and are heading elsewhere, as are tv companies and new, vibrant sponsors.

 

AS a spectator sprt for fans WRC is great, its a great day out, and it can sustain itsslef that way, but manufacturers want TV, and the sport has failed at that for over a decade I'm afraid, at least in the UK.  Mainly through domination of one car/team. And no Brits with a cha nce of doing any good, but those points are minor



#46 ClubmanGT

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 20:03

There's a reason my garage is filled with Group A sports cars.

 

Purpose built buggies with no relation to road-going cars have zero relevance to me or any other mere mortal. 

 

They've killed the rules, the stages, the video games and the TV show is bland and predictable.

 

So why should anyone, F1 fan or not, care?

 

 

Put in a boat, set fire to it and push it into the middle of a Finnish lake, and start again. 



#47 JHSingo

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 20:17

 The whole point oif rallying is that it is about competition in cars that are (more or less) the same as the one in your driveway.  I know, I know, they stray a long way from that from time to time (|Gp B era for instance) but it remains the point.  Most people could envisage having a Fiesta or a DS3; no-one is going to have a Toyota TS04. 

 

Isn't this kind of the problem though? The current WRC cars aren't exciting, they're nothing too special.

 

The thing sports car racing has going for is that it has grids full of cars people dream of owning, whether it be Ferraris, Porsches, Aston Martins or whatever. I know when I was a young kid, I grew up dreaming of owning a Ferrari, not a Ford or Citroen shopping car. As for the prototypes, well, it's a similar thing. They look impressive pieces of machinery even when they're stationary.

 

Speaking personally, the thing that really got me interested in motorsport in the first place was the cars. And really, the last cool cars that were in the WRC were the Group Bs. But, among the things that really kills my interest in the WRC right now is that the cars are so uninspiring. They don't have the same allure as those ferocious, bonkers Group B cars that looked and sounded very impressive.



#48 chunder27

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 21:46

Comparing sports car racing to rallying is insane.

 

It's even more predictable, is class based to try and make it interesting, the races take hours and it is staggeringly full of rather poor gentleman drivers at the lower level. there is more than enough talent, but the guys funding the teams want to have their go to, and that turn me right off.

 

At least rallying is a base for pure talent to show itself on most occasions, yes some of the teams have pay drivers in their cars, but not at the expense of a good driver.

 

I have never understood the appeal of sports cars to anyone sane in motorsport!

 

And comparing it to rallying is really rather missing the point, as WEC is perhaps one of the dullest spectator sports known to motorsport, and tv really! The complete opposite to rallying which live is spectacular, diverse in terms of environment and you also get out into lovely parts of the world.

 

The issue is that rallying cant find itslef a decent place on telly, WEC will never be popular on telly becauzse it is boring, takes too long and noone knows half the drivers! 

 

To drive it's awesome, but as a fan sport it ranks lower than most motorsports, but to be honest most fans of WEC are circuit racing fans who have never ventured to a bike enduro, stage rally, autograss, short oval, dragstrip, beach-race, rallycross in their lives in my experience.  And if they had they would drop WEC like a stone!! lol, I did!



#49 JHSingo

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 22:23

Comparing sports car racing to rallying is insane.

 

It's even more predictable, is class based to try and make it interesting, the races take hours and it is staggeringly full of rather poor gentleman drivers at the lower level. there is more than enough talent, but the guys funding the teams want to have their go to, and that turn me right off.

 

At least rallying is a base for pure talent to show itself on most occasions, yes some of the teams have pay drivers in their cars, but not at the expense of a good driver.

 

I have never understood the appeal of sports cars to anyone sane in motorsport!

 

And comparing it to rallying is really rather missing the point, as WEC is perhaps one of the dullest spectator sports known to motorsport, and tv really! The complete opposite to rallying which live is spectacular, diverse in terms of environment and you also get out into lovely parts of the world.

 

The issue is that rallying cant find itslef a decent place on telly, WEC will never be popular on telly becauzse it is boring, takes too long and noone knows half the drivers! 

 

To drive it's awesome, but as a fan sport it ranks lower than most motorsports, but to be honest most fans of WEC are circuit racing fans who have never ventured to a bike enduro, stage rally, autograss, short oval, dragstrip, beach-race, rallycross in their lives in my experience.  And if they had they would drop WEC like a stone!! lol, I did!

 

I really don't want to make this a "my series is better than yours" bash thread, despite your best attempts, but a few points to what you wrote.

 

WRC is class based too. You've got the top WRC, then WRC 2 which I only know about, since Kubica won the title last year, and several others that always seem to get a passing mention in Autosport. So to criticise sports car racing for being 'class' based is pretty ironic to say the least. :lol:

 

Likewise, your comment about funded drivers. There are far more funded drivers in WRC than manufacturers. And, I'd argue that the quality of WRC is pretty low right now as well. It seems that there's only really two guys who are capable of winning, being Ogier and Latvala. Like I said in the rallycross thread recently, who really is there beyond those two? That's what I find a shame. A few years ago WRC was full of quality, superstar drivers such as Burns, McRae, Makkinen, Sainz, Gronholm, Solberg etc. But who is there today?

 

Again, your comment about "no-one knowing half the drivers" in the WEC. Now that may be true, but I think the WRC has the same problem. I personally used to be a big WRC fan, but probably couldn't name more than three of the current drivers. Ogier, Latvala, Kubica...no idea who else is in it.

 

I actually agree with you that WEC, outside of Le Mans, will never gain a massive following on TV. Endurance racing isn't really designed for that, but then again, neither is the WRC. It's not that it 'can't find itself a decent place' it's that there's zero interest for any mainstream channels to show it. Again, it isn't built for TV. Who wants to watch a single car pass through every once in a while, racing only against the clock, with limited cameras and various other limitations that come with filming rallying? Very few people, and certainly not enough to warrant live TV coverage. Like endurance racing, it is better suited to the internet, or better still, a highlights package on TV.

 

Lastly, I wouldn't say comparing rallying to sports cars is 'insane'. They share similar values, or at least, used to. Both used to be about endurance, and the challenge it took to get the car to the finish, whether it be at Le Mans or any rally. Now, rallies are completed in what, 2 days? Call that a rally? Because I don't. Whatever happened to events like the Safari rally? Events that really used to test man and machine...now the drivers seem to be against longer events for reasons I don't entirely understand.

 

Uninspiring cars and rallies, and few good drivers is why my interest in WRC has dropped off. But at least rallycross these days is on the up again. Who knows, maybe it won't be too long before Ogier and co will move into rallycross instead. I'd definitely be interested to see how they performed if they did.


Edited by JHSingo, 09 June 2014 - 22:26.


#50 chunder27

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Posted 10 June 2014 - 08:51

My theory on tv for WRC is not that it cant find a place.

 

It is that many times it has found a place and then been dropped because it simply either costs too much or it doesnt pull int he viewers it should.

 

A lot of motorsport gets pulled from pillar to post because idiots think people will pay for it, then when the figures drop it ends up on places like E4 or 5, and these channels will always have inherently less viewers.

 

I dont think WEC has tried to get on mainstream tv, because they know it is of little interest to the public.  They concentrate on LeMAns, as they know which side their bread is buttered.

 

But really, the only time Le MAns gets on mainstream tv in the UK is when someone dies, just like the TT.