Rallying - keep it simple
Discussion
Looking back to the 80s and 90s I could recall all the cars and drivers of the world rally championship, but these days I doubt I can name a handful without looking it up. It must be that I'm bored of it and could do with changing the rules to increase the range of competitors to liven it up.
My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
Competing cars must be based on a model available to buy - 4wd must be available on that car etc not picked from within the range??
Diesel allowed??
JWRC looks like a reasonable formula but doesn't seem to have caught too much of the publics imagination and PWRC even less so.
Maybe space frame sillhouettes of the road car is the way to go - screamer engines, simple transmissions, elecrtonics restrictions etc.....
Diesel allowed??
JWRC looks like a reasonable formula but doesn't seem to have caught too much of the publics imagination and PWRC even less so.
Maybe space frame sillhouettes of the road car is the way to go - screamer engines, simple transmissions, elecrtonics restrictions etc.....
Bring back cars like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBoP7tcG_s
Chuck in some proper night stages and we are in business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBoP7tcG_s
Chuck in some proper night stages and we are in business
PWRC run Group-N spec which can be great to watch, based on extensive experience of the NZRC which also has Group-N as the main championship class. Though I must admit a few older cars still running Group-A specs in other classes can be more spectacular when driven well, and the many classics running are certainly appreciated too. 

FWD cars are generally the most boring thing around on gravel stages, though I expect less disadvantaged on tarmac.


FWD cars are generally the most boring thing around on gravel stages, though I expect less disadvantaged on tarmac.
soxboy said:
Looking back to the 80s and 90s I could recall all the cars and drivers of the world rally championship, but these days I doubt I can name a handful without looking it up. It must be that I'm bored of it and could do with changing the rules to increase the range of competitors to liven it up.
My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
How can you possibly consider your rules simple, or anybody's rules for that matter, when teams and manufacturers are constantly trying to twist and break them?My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
Just bring back Group B.
I know with all this recession everyone is cost cutting, but motorsport has always been an expensive game, if teams want to spend £200m+ then they should go ahead. As I said, a return to group B rules would be amazing. So long as 200 examples were put on the road, then teams could make what the hell they like.
I know with all this recession everyone is cost cutting, but motorsport has always been an expensive game, if teams want to spend £200m+ then they should go ahead. As I said, a return to group B rules would be amazing. So long as 200 examples were put on the road, then teams could make what the hell they like.
zac510 said:
soxboy said:
Looking back to the 80s and 90s I could recall all the cars and drivers of the world rally championship, but these days I doubt I can name a handful without looking it up. It must be that I'm bored of it and could do with changing the rules to increase the range of competitors to liven it up.
My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
How can you possibly consider your rules simple, or anybody's rules for that matter, when teams and manufacturers are constantly trying to twist and break them?My rules are pretty simple, harking back to the Group A days:
More than 5000 road going examples must be produced.
Max 300 bhp.
RAC rally goes back to 5 days around the country, not welsh forests. Perhaps give these types of rallies extra points.
Only one support vehicle per entrant.
I loved Group B too but it did get a bit out of hand and costs could become eccessive.
Anyone else wish to add to the list?
Rallying at the moment seems to be stuck in limbo where the cars are similar to those which can be bought in looks only but the cost is too much for other manufacturers to step up and take part. You should have all or nothing, i.e. hardly any limits which would bring the cars back to the days of Group B (and potentially Group S) and as such becomes the turbo nutter b
ds we all new and loved, or you make it more production based so there's a wider spread of vehicles which may generate more interest.I guess maybe the answer lies not so much with the entrants but with the limited media coverage. If coverage improves then exposure for the manufacturers improves and consequently the number of participants does so too. I suppose it's all very well arguing over the rules but if no bugger watches it (or should I say has the facility to watch it) there's little point.
soxboy said:
Rallying at the moment seems to be stuck in limbo where the cars are similar to those which can be bought in looks only but the cost is too much for other manufacturers to step up and take part. You should have all or nothing, i.e. hardly any limits which would bring the cars back to the days of Group B (and potentially Group S) and as such becomes the turbo nutter b
ds we all new and loved, or you make it more production based so there's a wider spread of vehicles which may generate more interest.
Group S is effectively what we've had with modern WRC - ~300bhp power limit, trick drivetrain and chassis under a vaguely normal-looking shell. Though IIRC Group S would have given a bit more flexibility with engine location, and prototype shells rather than production look.
ds we all new and loved, or you make it more production based so there's a wider spread of vehicles which may generate more interest.Personally I'd like to see more of a production base ala Group A & N, perhaps with a bit more power but staying away from active diffs and so on.
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 29th June 07:35
Hugh Jass said:
Bring back cars like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBoP7tcG_s
Chuck in some proper night stages and we are in business
gets my vote...! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBoP7tcG_s
Chuck in some proper night stages and we are in business

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... I lost the plot when rallying stopped at night and F1 started to race at night! As for this "Rally of Margam Park" nonsense ... (are rally cars allowed to get muddy or wet these days?)