2024 WRC and ERC discussion

[df76]

Its Just Adz said:

Is there any where to watch a round up of this on TV?
I saw TNT mentioned above but I don't have Sky.

Daily highlights on red bull tv, free. Full round up is on itv4 on Tuesday evening.

[Its Just Adz]

df76 said:

Daily highlights on red bull tv, free. Full round up is on itv4 on Tuesday evening.

Thank you!

[epom]

Maxdecel said:

Thought I'd post this, quite a mix of stage type. Particularly impressed with long flat into LH in the valley bottom.

That’s super thanks. Seems they only brake for 1 right or 1 left these days, maybe a dab of brakes for a 2, the others nah….

[Maxdecel]

epom said:

That’s super thanks. Seems they only brake for 1 right or 1 left these days, maybe a dab of brakes for a 2, the others nah….

Commitment & confidence is mind blowing, no doubt about it they're quick.

[520TORQUES]

I managed to record and then watch all the stages, a big improvement on last year. Pity there are so few cars worth watching, but the FF button did it's job.

Not sure what happened to Elfyn, he lost it on Saturday afternoon by a big margin. The Hyundai looks decent this year.

[Don Roque]

The conditions on the roads have been a bit trickier than expected. Day one saw a lot of cars sliding on patchy ice and looking very quick on the clear sections. Relatively high ambient temps have led to some soft verges and most all the footage I've seen has made mention of a lot of 'pollution' on the surface where mud has been dragged onto the tarmac by cars cutting corners. Munster lost it on SS12 yesterday after sliding on dirt and becoming trapped.

Overall, the action is looking great, better than the meagre roster of full time drivers would have indicated.

[520TORQUES]

Don Roque said:

The conditions on the roads have been a bit trickier than expected. Day one saw a lot of cars sliding on patchy ice and looking very quick on the clear sections. Relatively high ambient temps have led to some soft verges and most all the footage I've seen has made mention of a lot of 'pollution' on the surface where mud has been dragged onto the tarmac by cars cutting corners. Munster lost it on SS12 yesterday after sliding on dirt and becoming trapped.

Overall, the action is looking great, better than the meagre roster of full time drivers would have indicated.

Using the term "pollution" so often on the coverage is properly stupid. It's manna to the anti car brigade.

[Don Roque]

520TORQUES said:

Using the term "pollution" so often on the coverage is properly stupid. It's manna to the anti car brigade.

Yes, I think it's utter bks. It's mud, nothing more

[Beethree]

Ref the low number of full time drivers, I’ve had a look at ewrc-results.com to compare the late 90’s heyday.

It looks to me that in 96 there were only 5 full time drivers and in 97 only 3? So maybe not a modern WRC problem but a long standing one?

[520TORQUES]

Beethree said:

Ref the low number of full time drivers, I’ve had a look at ewrc-results.com to compare the late 90’s heyday.

It looks to me that in 96 there were only 5 full time drivers and in 97 only 3? So maybe not a modern WRC problem but a long standing one?

The quality of the drivers in the top 10 were pretty stellar, but it was at the point the group A cars were becoming too expensive for manufacturers requiring so many production cars to be built, so they came up with the new WRC car rules for 1997. From there the series took off, with great seasons of multi manufacturer teams and top drivers both in the WRC class and in the F2 FWD class.

13 manufacturer teams competed in 1998.

[GravelBen]

IIRC in the mid-late 90s there was a lot more swapping seats to use specialist drivers for different surfaces, ie a regular driver who was best on gravel might sit out a tarmac round in favour of a 'tarmac specialist' driver for a better chance of manufacturers points.

These days while drivers often still prefer one surface over others they seem to be more polished all-rounders, being familiar with the car seems to be more important than favouring the surface.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

520TORQUES said:

I managed to record and then watch all the stages, a big improvement on last year. Pity there are so few cars worth watching, but the FF button did it's job.

Not sure what happened to Elfyn, he lost it on Saturday afternoon by a big margin. The Hyundai looks decent this year.

he drives like his personality - a bit reticent. He may decide that the best option this season is to finish well on each rally, and I am sure he will do, but he'll be behind at least one Toyota and one Hyundai. So a season of consistent 3rds

It won't net him the championship against a Neuville or Tanak, who'll win 5 and crash on 2.

He might however have a reasonable road position for the snow of Sweden and the gravel of everywhere else. But he'll only be leading at the end of day 1, and be faced with the same conundrum.

He's just got to stop giving a fk....

[ArnageWRC]

520TORQUES said:

Beethree said:

Ref the low number of full time drivers, I’ve had a look at ewrc-results.com to compare the late 90’s heyday.

It looks to me that in 96 there were only 5 full time drivers and in 97 only 3? So maybe not a modern WRC problem but a long standing one?

The quality of the drivers in the top 10 were pretty stellar, but it was at the point the group A cars were becoming too expensive for manufacturers requiring so many production cars to be built, so they came up with the new WRC car rules for 1997. From there the series took off, with great seasons of multi manufacturer teams and top drivers both in the WRC class and in the F2 FWD class.

13 manufacturer teams competed in 1998.

There were usually plenty of semi-Factory/ Privateers, and Privateers in Gp A; so you could see at least 15-20 top class cars. And as already mentioned, it was the age of the 'specialist'; Liatti for Tarmac, Eriksson for snow/gravel.....

1997-2004 was a great era - and the sport has never really recovered since then.

It really needs a serious 'root & branch review'; cars, event formats, promotion, TV, etc Changing the points system is merely re-arranging the deckchairs on The Titanic.

[BananaFama]

I must have been the last person to have found out that Kalle wasn't doing the full WRC this year .

I tuned into the ITV4 highlights , 5 minutes in ,there's something ,or someone ,missing ,yeah , the world champion ,that's who !

Disappointed is an under statement .

I don't remember his name being mentioned once in the show , presumably he'll be making trip to Sweden ?

[ArnageWRC]

Yes, he'll be there in Sweden. And you wouldn't put it past him winning there......

In other news, I'm surprised somebody hasn't posted the news about the shorter format for Rally Italia-Sardegna.......all 166 miles of it.

[Beethree]

FIA survey about the future of WRC here:
https://yonder.online-host.solutions/mrIWeb/mrIWeb...

Definitely worth filling out if your passionate about it!

[520TORQUES]

Beethree said:

FIA survey about the future of WRC here:
https://yonder.online-host.solutions/mrIWeb/mrIWeb...

Definitely worth filling out if your passionate about it!

link doesn't work.

[Beethree]

Hmm it was copied from Dirtfish website, maybe try from there:

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/fia-asks-fans-to-sh...


(Link at the bottom)

[520TORQUES]

Beethree said:

Hmm it was copied from Dirtfish website, maybe try from there:

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/fia-asks-fans-to-sh...


(Link at the bottom)

Thanks, the survey is generated when you click the tab, so wont work directly from a pasted web address because of the format.

The dirtfish page works OK.

[fttm canada]

Probably in the wrong place but , amusing episode on Howard Davies YT channel Ralio tonight as he visit old mucker Gwydaff Evans .