RE: WRC 2013: preview
Discussion
I do enjoy the WRC, moreso when I was able to watch it on the telly but even the coverage we used to get was derisory. The past few years though have been far from my favourite era of rallying, partly because the field of drivers lacks any real character outside Loeb. Unlike some, I don't blame Loeb for a decline in the sport, I have always found him fascinating and enjoyable to watch.
The cars are a big issue in the disappointing state of rallying at the moment. They just don't interest me like the old cars did. The Ford's WRC Focus had nothing in common with the lardy, FWD mk2 Focus RS. Citroen didn't even bother making a hot car off the back of their repeated success (despite what a 'by Loeb' owner may tell you).
The cars are a big issue in the disappointing state of rallying at the moment. They just don't interest me like the old cars did. The Ford's WRC Focus had nothing in common with the lardy, FWD mk2 Focus RS. Citroen didn't even bother making a hot car off the back of their repeated success (despite what a 'by Loeb' owner may tell you).
Del195 said:
Group B was amazing but was far to fast and dangerious for the time when specators were out of control.
There is little wrong with the current crop of cars for speed, noise and excitment. In fact the last lot of WRC cars i.e C4 & Focus were in fact faster of the same stages than Group B. Just shows what modern Tyres, Suspension, Brakes and Diffs can do for safety.
It is all about the coverage and therefore Red Bull must get it right. Take a leaf out of Euro Sports book and see what they did with the IRC and its live stages.
There is little wrong with the current crop of cars for speed, noise and excitment. In fact the last lot of WRC cars i.e C4 & Focus were in fact faster of the same stages than Group B. Just shows what modern Tyres, Suspension, Brakes and Diffs can do for safety.
It is all about the coverage and therefore Red Bull must get it right. Take a leaf out of Euro Sports book and see what they did with the IRC and its live stages.
It was moronic spectators that caused the end of Group B. Current WRC cars are still bats
t crazy but at least the drivers don't end up being statistics after a bad off.MartinM said:
Thanks for the heads-up 
Regarding the subject of WRC, its all about the coverage (or, lack of at the moment). This is THE key thing fans amd potential fans are in need of. Everythng else with then follow suit IMO.
The most tedious and predictable thing regarding threads and articles connected to the WRC is people banging on about "The group B days" and RWD etc etc ad nauseam. The current crop of WRC cars actually have no traction or stability control, they sound amazing, are very quick and can be provoked to go sideways (and actually quick sideways)at will. Go and spectate at a WRC event and see for yourself. The very fact that people assume the current machinery is "boring" is largely down to the shiite coverage we get, which brings me back to the point I was making above.
After all the excitement and hope that Red Bull may rectify this situation, I'm not encouraged so far. Does anyone know how long they are going to be involved?
Ditto... My thoughts exactly!Regarding the subject of WRC, its all about the coverage (or, lack of at the moment). This is THE key thing fans amd potential fans are in need of. Everythng else with then follow suit IMO.
The most tedious and predictable thing regarding threads and articles connected to the WRC is people banging on about "The group B days" and RWD etc etc ad nauseam. The current crop of WRC cars actually have no traction or stability control, they sound amazing, are very quick and can be provoked to go sideways (and actually quick sideways)at will. Go and spectate at a WRC event and see for yourself. The very fact that people assume the current machinery is "boring" is largely down to the shiite coverage we get, which brings me back to the point I was making above.
After all the excitement and hope that Red Bull may rectify this situation, I'm not encouraged so far. Does anyone know how long they are going to be involved?
It is a great shame that the WRC has not got its own 1hr or 1/2hr show, far to much football on tv, but thats is another arguement.
I feel the main issue with rallye is that the race is over so many miles that you can not really get good coverage of the cars over say a 75 mile track onto tv, yes you get to see the hairpins and the jumps or yumps etc but from a viewer point it is very hard to get the full race details onto a flat screen.
For highlights if they had camera set along the course they could possibly show 4 cars on track the same time so you can see who is quicker etc etc
IMHO and what do I know.
I feel the main issue with rallye is that the race is over so many miles that you can not really get good coverage of the cars over say a 75 mile track onto tv, yes you get to see the hairpins and the jumps or yumps etc but from a viewer point it is very hard to get the full race details onto a flat screen.
For highlights if they had camera set along the course they could possibly show 4 cars on track the same time so you can see who is quicker etc etc
IMHO and what do I know.
A pretty accurate summation of the situation. And honest. Rallyfans aren't fools - for too long a number of writers kept bigging it up, when it was painfully obvious that the WRC was dying on it's @r5e.
When teams, sponsors, etc all pack up, something isn't right. At least there seems to be a glimmer of hope; VW, Hyundai in the future, rumours about Toyota, the cheaper R5 cars, and RBMH taking over the Promotion( have they actually signed yet?)
As for the UK, it's tough; no TV deal as yet, both Rallycourse and the Pirelli Rallying Yearbooks no longer published, the disappearance of the sport from the mainstream, the GB round of the WRC now no longer the huge national event which drew massive number of 'casual fans'.
When teams, sponsors, etc all pack up, something isn't right. At least there seems to be a glimmer of hope; VW, Hyundai in the future, rumours about Toyota, the cheaper R5 cars, and RBMH taking over the Promotion( have they actually signed yet?)
As for the UK, it's tough; no TV deal as yet, both Rallycourse and the Pirelli Rallying Yearbooks no longer published, the disappearance of the sport from the mainstream, the GB round of the WRC now no longer the huge national event which drew massive number of 'casual fans'.
garypotter said:
For highlights if they had camera set along the course they could possibly show 4 cars on track the same time so you can see who is quicker etc etc
IIRC the coverage on C4 years back used to be good for that, showing the relative progress of the different cars over a CGI course. 
Fox- said:
For a start that isn't an Evolution and secondly there is just something more fun about watching a nutcase throw a barge like that around a forest than there is of the same thing in a little hatchback.
I don't think rallying is for you. Hatchbacks have been in WRC for decades.EDLT said:
Fox- said:
For a start that isn't an Evolution and secondly there is just something more fun about watching a nutcase throw a barge like that around a forest than there is of the same thing in a little hatchback.
I don't think rallying is for you. Hatchbacks have been in WRC for decades.HighwayStar said:
Some people just don't like change, why can't it be this or that, like it was with Escorts, TR7 V8s blah blah... Back in the day etc.. If there wasn't change/progress we'd still be on the road with ya up ahead waving the red flag.
Progress? WRC has no mainstream TV coverage anymore. How is that progress?Fox- said:
HighwayStar said:
Some people just don't like change, why can't it be this or that, like it was with Escorts, TR7 V8s blah blah... Back in the day etc.. If there wasn't change/progress we'd still be on the road with ya up ahead waving the red flag.
Progress? WRC has no mainstream TV coverage anymore. How is that progress?Why are you even reading this thread?
Because I used to be a big fan of WRC. I watched every rally when it was on C4 and used to enjoy watching the likes of Mcrea (Despite his Focus) and Solberg (and his Impreza). Then it just began to lose its appeal more and more. Then I just kinda stopped watching it.
I am presumably not alone given that most people don't seem interested in WRC anymore - reflected by it's television coverage (or lack thereof) etc.
I am presumably not alone given that most people don't seem interested in WRC anymore - reflected by it's television coverage (or lack thereof) etc.
Fox- said:
Progress? WRC has no mainstream TV coverage anymore. How is that progress?
Ah... You've changed the subject now! You were knocking the use of small hatch backs. TV coverage another thing. The show is difficult to sell with only a few factory teams. Citroen are dug in and well organised. The only other full time factory team is VW and they have a steep learning curve to get on the pace in their first season. Hyundai, they're not doing a full season... At the moment, with not even a handful of teams, there isn't going to be much of a spectacle for the non enthusiast.
If the channel doesn't get the eyeballs on the screen the plug gets pulled. Enthusiasts won't provide enough numbers.
Manufacturers, factory teams, need to be enticed back with a great media package. No point being there if no one knows anything about it.
When the WRC was on commercial TV advertising was tied in with the manufacturers so they could promote their products. I don't see the WRC being the force it once was until FIA, the promotor RedBull Media House and the manufacturers get a package sorted out. It's going to take a while to turn it around.
Please Please Please, for the love of god!!!! Who ever does get the rights to the TV coverage for this year, end this reliance on in-car footage and get a decent amount of camera men out in the stages.
Rally fans want to see the cars going sideways at incredible speeds and angles. They dont want to hear pace notes in a foreign language, that weird white noise whinning sound you get as feedback from the ignition system of the car interferes with the microphone and that motion sickness feeling you get watching scenery go up and down without feeling the corresponding motion in your body.
In car footage should be resereved for when it all goes wrong
Rally fans want to see the cars going sideways at incredible speeds and angles. They dont want to hear pace notes in a foreign language, that weird white noise whinning sound you get as feedback from the ignition system of the car interferes with the microphone and that motion sickness feeling you get watching scenery go up and down without feeling the corresponding motion in your body.
In car footage should be resereved for when it all goes wrong
I agree up to a point about in car footage as it is used too much BUT, If you watch Julian Reynolds in a Mk 1 Escort on (I think) The Bulldog Rally last year......
Down hill on a stage he knows, Navigator says just before the hairpin at the top " mind if I shut my eyes for the next bit". Halfway down there's manic laughter, followed by "you are mad"
Down hill on a stage he knows, Navigator says just before the hairpin at the top " mind if I shut my eyes for the next bit". Halfway down there's manic laughter, followed by "you are mad"
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