114 replies to this topic

[AlexPrime]

Next WRC event is the Spanish round, based this year in the Canary Islands.  Which is fine, there is a strong rallying tradition there and it is a distinctive and different rally.

 

I love that rally! It has been an ERC round before and looks stunning.
Sorry about the locals. I don't mind tourists in the summer, but Bulgaria is not as overwhelmed as Spain.

[Sabre1977]

Spaniard here.It's all politics , better to blame on tourists instead of finding solutions for housing problems. In Canary islands a los of people live of tourism.

[BRG]

In Canary islands a los of people live of tourism.

The same applies to a lot of places in Spain, but it hasn't stopped local people protesting.  Not sure how they square wanting to reduce tourism with still making a living though.  And I suppose the decision to move the Rally of Spain to the Canaries was made well before the current up-surge of protests.  Hope it does not affect the running of the rally itself.

[BRG]

It appears that, despite one of the two parties involved being the FIA, a sensible conclusion has been reached on the swearing crisis.  Just as most sane people already felt, swearing in the heat of the moment, on stage and at the immediate end of a stage, will be tolerated.  In more formal circumstances such as media interviews, it will not.  No news on whether Adrien Fourmaux will get his life-savings back though.

 

The downside is that the tediously predictable end of stage interviews will now resume and will sadly again be in English.  The only saving grace is that drivers will be allowed to vent their feelings if something bad as happened in the stage.  Personally, if I was a WRC driver, I would continue to reply to questions in Estonian or Welsh!

Edited by BRG, 23 April 2025 - 09:03.

[Sabre1977]

The same applies to a lot of places in Spain, but it hasn't stopped local people protesting. 

 

That´s why some people are manipulated by politicians. I could tell a lot about laws of renting houses in Spain and the problems that that laws produce, but it´s not the forum.

Edited by Sabre1977, 23 April 2025 - 19:50.

[Anja]

Quite the Toyota domination so far. Holding the entire top 5  

Edited by Anja, 25 April 2025 - 19:35.

[OvDrone]

Great to see Rovanpera back in form. Was scared there for a moment. Evans quietly building up the points lead.

[OvDrone]

Sublime superlative stuff from Rovanpera. Dominated all days, took Super Sunday and the Powerstage comfortaly. Peak stuff. At least the asphalt part looks sorted with him and the tyres.

He went from 6th to 2nd in the championship with this round. Evans still extending his lead but I guess he should be wary of what Rovanpera showed today. 

[Jvr]

It was a superb performance from Rovanperä and Toyota. I am concerned about Hyundai, though. Is this an indication that they are not fully committed to WRC anymore since I'd guess everybody expected Hyundai to be strong on tarmac but not to be.

[Stephane]

They totally messed up settings, that's all

[Vesuvius]

Impressive performance from Kalle, hopefully he is now more comfortable with the new car and tyres.

Unfortunately it looks very likely that Hyundai will quit after this season, so will have to wait and see what will be the future of WRC.

[Stephane]

Probably rally2+ from 27 or 28

Edited by Stephane, Today, 07:39.

[Anja]

Hyundai leaving would just make them look weak to be honest - other manufacturers somehow easily do multiple series at once. And LMDh isn't exactly the most expensive or resource intensive program on this level. 

[Stephane]

Or they just don't have the return they want from wrc.

They've been there 10 years+, I wouldn't say they'd look weak if they quit.

[P0inters]

I couldn’t blame Hyundai at all for leaving. The cars cost a fortune, the viewership is poor and the field is tiny. It feels a bit like the late 00s right now. Rallying can still thrive as shown by national championships. The demand is there but WRC are making a balls of it. They really should just pull the plug and go with Rally2 from next year.

Edited by P0inters, Today, 10:18.