The 2014 WRC Thread
Discussion
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114383
Should be good news. Hopefully they'll stop trying to change the sport to suit themselves. World RX already exists - WRC should be different.
Should be good news. Hopefully they'll stop trying to change the sport to suit themselves. World RX already exists - WRC should be different.
The stages have been revealed for this years Wales Rally GB 2014. Gutted to see Myherin has been left out, and very surprised to see Chirk Castle has been retained!
No Thursday night stages due to the new promotors limitations on event length etc, though the last 2 stages on Saturday will be run in darkness.
And yes it it isn't like the old days blablablablablabla...
No Thursday night stages due to the new promotors limitations on event length etc, though the last 2 stages on Saturday will be run in darkness.
And yes it it isn't like the old days blablablablablabla...
Alex Langheck said:
A pity the organisers didn't stick two fingers up the the Promoters..... It's just an okay route.
A total of 212 miles, and only 25 on the Sunday..... Modern WRC eh?
But reading the interview with the VW boss posted above, it seems that is what the manufacturers want unfortunately - TV friendly - you can't have TV friendly having a huge long rally with lots of different stages all over the place - well you can't unless they are wiling to spend sA total of 212 miles, and only 25 on the Sunday..... Modern WRC eh?
t loads of money covering it.TBH last year's Rally GB Wales UK super sprint (or whatever) really suited me for spectating - pretty well organised - drove straight into the stage after an 1hr or so drive from Manchester, not too long a walk to the action etc - got covered in mud and bruised by flying rocks and ended up lost in a forest, which is half the fun, then back home in time for tea. (dinner for you posh southern lot).
My days of chasing the rally for the whole weekend is long gone thanks to family commitments, but I would like to see the cars put through some challenging endurance events, even if not every weekend - I would love to see the safari running again.
Funny you should mention the return of the safari rally Emeye. I went to the final gathering at Prodrive on Sunday and got chatting to a guy who works there, really top notch staff all round btw, and we got talking about safari, as we were stood right next to Richard Burns' Safari spec Impreza.
He told us we'd never get that back, as when it was part of the calender at least 30% of the budget went to engineering/strengthening the car for just that one round! and you have to remember this is the time when the budget for wrc teams from the factory was massive!
I'm disappointed the route wont come further south than Sweet Lamb again this year, but I'm likely making the trek to Dyfnant & Dyfi as part of the timing teams for those stages again this year. so wont miss out on the action again. I heard from some officials last year that last year was the first of a 3-4 year plan to revamp the rally and the north provided better access/location for the majority of spectators.
They did acknowledge that they really suffer with accommodation for fans, but didn't see it as too much of a negative.
Chirk castle is back, and from what I briefly read in MN is to be massively revamped for access/spectating.
Now I just need my boss to approve my leave request for WRGB so I can commit to my timing/marshalling duties!
He told us we'd never get that back, as when it was part of the calender at least 30% of the budget went to engineering/strengthening the car for just that one round! and you have to remember this is the time when the budget for wrc teams from the factory was massive!
I'm disappointed the route wont come further south than Sweet Lamb again this year, but I'm likely making the trek to Dyfnant & Dyfi as part of the timing teams for those stages again this year. so wont miss out on the action again. I heard from some officials last year that last year was the first of a 3-4 year plan to revamp the rally and the north provided better access/location for the majority of spectators.
They did acknowledge that they really suffer with accommodation for fans, but didn't see it as too much of a negative.
Chirk castle is back, and from what I briefly read in MN is to be massively revamped for access/spectating.
Now I just need my boss to approve my leave request for WRGB so I can commit to my timing/marshalling duties!
RyanTank said:
He told us we'd never get that back, as when it was part of the calender at least 30% of the budget went to engineering/strengthening the car for just that one round! and you have to remember this is the time when the budget for wrc teams from the factory was massive!
Surely the simple answer to that is not allow any changes to the car - just have longer services to allow the teams to repair the cars. I agree with what has been posted here, lets bring endurance back into it - may end up with someone like Prokop or Elfyn winning as they are slower and maybe damage the car less. Might mix things up but then again Ogiers car seems to be bullet proof anyway!I'm all for a return of the endurance stuff. but costs and the TV friendly format has killed it for good I think, its too hard and expensive for the promoter to cover the 100km stages like they use to.
paper plastic panels and chocolate suspension parts. we've seen the mess Acropolis use to make of the cars, and that's mild compared to the boulders/ruts safari had offer! Imagine the farce a safari event would be when a GrpN Evo/Impreza took the lead on the first stage after all the wrc boys had mechanical difficulties.
At least back in the hey day of WRC they were based on beefyish road saloons, not the current mid size hatches/shopping cars.
SAGTAFF said:
Surely the simple answer to that is not allow any changes to the car - just have longer services to allow the teams to repair the cars.
The issue being with that is a 'standard' wrc car, outside of the safety cell, is made of At least back in the hey day of WRC they were based on beefyish road saloons, not the current mid size hatches/shopping cars.
Alex Langheck said:
And the WRC is dead.Well f
k that 
Emeye said:
Allyc85 said:
F'ing he'll, how the he'll so you explain the equalisation to the casual fan?! Un-bloody real!!!
You can start by trying to explain it to me, and I wouldn't call myself a casual fan, even though I'm likely to become one!Heard an interview on rally radio last round with one of the guys who was pushing the idea of the final stage shootout... "what people want to see is drivers pushing hard on every stage, not cruising through sunday because they already have a big lead" ... apparently what he actually meant was "we want to see drivers taking it easy through most of the rally, and pushing through one stage right at the end".
I don't mind the idea of giving points for each day - NZRC has points for each day of 2-day events and for a power stage, as well as a bigger haul for the overall rally result. It seems to encourage people to re-join and push hard on the Sunday after having problems on Saturday. Points allocated are overall result 25-18-15-etc, each day 7-5-3-etc, power stage 5-4-3-etc.
But having the whole rally result decided by the power stage... why bother having a rally? It seems to be VW doing most of the pushing, do they back their drivers (or their next car) to have more chance at a single fast stage than a whole event?
I don't mind the idea of giving points for each day - NZRC has points for each day of 2-day events and for a power stage, as well as a bigger haul for the overall rally result. It seems to encourage people to re-join and push hard on the Sunday after having problems on Saturday. Points allocated are overall result 25-18-15-etc, each day 7-5-3-etc, power stage 5-4-3-etc.
But having the whole rally result decided by the power stage... why bother having a rally? It seems to be VW doing most of the pushing, do they back their drivers (or their next car) to have more chance at a single fast stage than a whole event?
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