RE: Toyota Yaris WRC testing
Discussion
This is surely the last chance for the WRC to reclaim the lost ground. It simply doesn’t inspire your average petrolhead/ motorsport fan any more. Go on most motorsport website/ forums during a WRC event and you’re lucky if you get 15-20 comments. We’ve had 5/6 different winners this season – and still it can’t get anywere.
F1, BTCC, MotoGP, WEC, etc are all far more popular…..
The cars/events are all far too similar; whether these new 2017 car will help is debatable. The current cars are the faster through a stage than a Gp B car – but so what??
The WRC promoters RedBull have been useless; the WRC is as invisible as ever.
F1, BTCC, MotoGP, WEC, etc are all far more popular…..
The cars/events are all far too similar; whether these new 2017 car will help is debatable. The current cars are the faster through a stage than a Gp B car – but so what??
The WRC promoters RedBull have been useless; the WRC is as invisible as ever.
Alex Langheck said:
Go on most motorsport website/ forums during a WRC event and you’re lucky if you get 15-20 comments.
If I'm allowed to endorse another forum on PH, try visiting motorsportforums.com - the Rally Finland thread is up to 22 pages and the rally hasn't even started yet! In fact I just checked and the WRC section of that forum has considerably more posts than the F1 section (255,000 vs 248,000). To put it another way, I think you're being a tad pessimistic.Rallying is also far more popular than F1 among real people (as opposed to internet people
) here in NZ, though still a lower profile than the V8 supertaxis.ELUSIVEJIM said:
RumbleOfThunder said:
"It's been a little while since rallying has been a properly exciting spectator sport"
Sorry but this is b
ks and it gets parroted far too much. I defy anyone to watch WRC footage and not be blown away by it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odeh49M9a90
If you attend a WRC even the action is good but there are some real problems with the sport.Sorry but this is b
ks and it gets parroted far too much. I defy anyone to watch WRC footage and not be blown away by it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odeh49M9a90
Not one of the main channels in the UK features the WRC.
The Lombard RAC rally in the past for example took in the whole of the UK which allowed the masses to enjoy the top level of the sport without spending a fortune.
Back in the 90's you could watch a Subaru Impreza being driven hard on a Sunday and go and order one on a Monday. Not one of the manufactures in the Sport have a car you can say is a WRC Special.
However exciting some people think the WRC is in it's present form there is no denying as a sport it has major issues as far as having a mass audience.
This is why the regulations are changing in 2017. The FIA know themselves things have to change. Unfortunately it was the FIA just like other motorsports that caused the issues in the first place.
At least the Yaris testing sounds better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3YUhUApXv4
Edited by ELUSIVEJIM on Monday 25th July 19:49
Matt
Matty322 said:
Or you. Could go for a trd Eco version lol
That looks mint. It's good to see the Yaris WRC looking and sounding a bit more exciting than the current crop of cars. Since Loeb bowed out, the action has been somewhat lacking. Even when Loeb was giving his masterclass performances, the rest of the running order was quite dull as the Focus RS wasn't competitive and Ogier was likely a dead cert for second place.
The WRC desperately needs a reshuffle to get the excitement back. It should be better than it is, but perhaps the reality of the silhouette racers that the current formula permits represents a triumph of developement over viewer engagement. Slower cars don't automatically mean less exciting competition, as the years following the demise of group B were some of the best the sport has ever seen (particularly if like me, you are fond of the Delta Integrale). I mean, if they're going to run a silhouette racer type car, why base it on a f
king boring hatchback? At least use a coupe shell or even better, give the manufacturers cart blanche to style the car, in the hope we end up with something looking like the Audi Group S prototype. rb5er said:
Homogolation cars is what made rallying popular and aspirational. It's just not the same anymore. Soaceframe chassis with any old body chucked on top and the drivetrain related to nothing in the roadgoing range.
They aren't spaceframe...The current cars are based on Super 2000 regs (i.e. heavily modified production bodies) with 1.6 turbos and aero kits. If anything, they are LESS bespoke racing kit than they were in the mid 2000s; when you had active centre differentials and all other manner of wizardry.
The point is, no one makes rally reps, because they wouldn't fit in the companies port-folios in their current small-hatch guise; Ford won't do a Fiesta RS because it would eat in to sales of the Focus ST or Focus RS (which are more profitable); Citroen did the DS3 Racing already but they won't develop a road-car 4WD powertrain for a low-volume car, etc etc.
Today highlights the major problem about the WRC.
Kris Meeke is the first British Rally driver to win the Finish Rally and there is nothing on Pistonheads celebrating this achievement.
On top of that Craig Breen gets a podium which is also a huge achievement but again nothing.
Does anyone care about the WRC now when it comes to the British Press?
Kris Meeke is the first British Rally driver to win the Finish Rally and there is nothing on Pistonheads celebrating this achievement.
On top of that Craig Breen gets a podium which is also a huge achievement but again nothing.
Does anyone care about the WRC now when it comes to the British Press?
ELUSIVEJIM said:
Today highlights the major problem about the WRC.
Kris Meeke is the first British Rally driver to win the Finish Rally and there is nothing on Pistonheads celebrating this achievement.
On top of that Craig Breen gets a podium which is also a huge achievement but again nothing.
Does anyone care about the WRC now when it comes to the British Press?
neKris Meeke is the first British Rally driver to win the Finish Rally and there is nothing on Pistonheads celebrating this achievement.
On top of that Craig Breen gets a podium which is also a huge achievement but again nothing.
Does anyone care about the WRC now when it comes to the British Press?
True, real shame. And even the Channel 5 highlights programme is pretty decent viewing. Well done to Meeke and Breen, a fine effort in Finland.
The main reason for the state the WRC is in today is the absence of a homologation special. As someone mentioned earlier, one could go and actually buy the same car the next day or to aspire at owning one someday. I personally am a good example of this. I own 6 Gr. A homologation specials and I used to travel to different countries to watch the WRC. Today I don't know who participates in the WRC i.e. Which manufacturers, who the drivers are, which countries, the calendar etc. All for one reason, at least for me. The absence of road versions or homologation specials. I am happy to read in this thread that more people share my view and I do hope that these views reach the FIA. But I am sure that the FIA is being lobbied by the car manufacturers to not bring back the homologation special.
Paul
Paul
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff