How to revitalise rallying?

How to revitalise rallying?

Author
Discussion

Twincam16

Original Poster:

27,646 posts

257 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
Cyder said:
Irony being that most of the changes made since the early 2000's were done to improve the sport for the tv audiences.... nuts
That's the daft thing though isn't it - people watched rallying because of what it was, not in spite of what it was.

coppice

8,561 posts

143 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
As in F1 TV has been at first a friend and then an enemy to rallying. TV covered motor sport as it was-lots of people watched it live - 2 million watched the RAC allegedly(doubt it ,but a lot did), GPs always had good crowds but so did club racing too. Then folk got greedy - more TV equalled more money and that resulted in the telly then influencing the sport to make it- hateful phrase- TV friendly. I could not give a flying f**k if motor sport is covered on TV actually beacuse like all sports it only works properly when it is live (eg TV drag racing - dull dull dull- watching a sub 5 second pass from a groundshaking V8 when you are 10 yards from the strip and you can hear , smell and feel it - oh yes indeed ) . I am in a minority - many folk love watching a GP on a big screen,laptop and i-phone to hand to monitor (yaaawn) strategy. The only strategy I like is when somebody decides to nail the guy in front or tackle a stage in maximum attack mode.

andygo

6,786 posts

254 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
What I can never understand is why the MSA havn't got their backsides into gear and sorted out road closures for stage rallying. There would be lots of competitors dying to have a run and spectators love it.

I suspect some of it is the weary H&S brigade, but there are lots of roads with super potential. And just look at Irish rallying and the Tour of Mull.

Drivers love a challenge, but an awful lot of that went with the extreme sanitisation of night rallies!

coppice

8,561 posts

143 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
I wouldn't knock the h and s people here(who usually seem to be mentioned as a bogeyman, often without foundation outside the pages of the Mail); the problem is that the legals involved in closing public roads in England are anything but straightforward.The Birmingham GP took a private Act of Parliament to succeed.And relatively few roads can be closed without seriously inconveniencing people. I live on North York Moors and whilst I'd love to see a stage rally come up my road I wuld be in a minority of one and if it was closed for a bike race I'd be incandescent!

Al W

591 posts

226 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
ChrisJ. said:
Historic Rallying, ...

... it's the future.
Legend Boucles de Spa 2011 http://youtu.be/khmBVFjBrIc

EDLT

15,421 posts

205 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
Closing roads isn't the problem, they do it all the time for cycling/marthons. The problem is you need an act of parliament to temporarily remove the speed limit, which sort of implies that without government intervention the police would sit on a stage with a speed gun and ticket everyone.

andygo

6,786 posts

254 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
Well that's what we need in this country then- a change to the law! The MSA are meant to be lobbying the gov, but are moving at a snails pace...

If they spent less time buying blazers for themselves they might get something done.

Ranger 6

7,040 posts

248 months

Wednesday 23rd May 2012
quotequote all
EDLT said:
Closing roads isn't the problem, they do it all the time for cycling/marthons. The problem is you need an act of parliament to temporarily remove the speed limit...
2300 Club were the first(Tour of Mull) - then the Jim Clark....

Yes, I know the MSA are trying but without a coherent event team and plan they can't act

So who's next??

ArnageWRC

2,050 posts

158 months

Thursday 24th May 2012
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Agree with the above - getting the Act of Parliament temporarily withdrawn seems to be a long drawn out process, and costs plenty of money.
What events, if any will be wanting to run on closed roads? They would have to be fairly substantial events, e;g BRC and upwards....there would have to be something in it for the town/city hosting it. Look at Ypres/Zlin - the whole town embraces the event - you can imagine the nimbys over here. However, the sport over here desperately needs something like closed roads Rallying.

sanf

673 posts

171 months

Thursday 24th May 2012
quotequote all
Create regs with
fixed power & torque figure
fixed gearbox spec
must use an existing shell from the manufacturer
put a max budget allowence in place
never do more than 13 rounds, 10 fixed, 3 on rotation
makes rallies less perscriptive - reccy, non reccy, give them more flexibility
scrap super rally - focus on endurance
stop obessing about TV deals, and reach out to get the fans on the stages watching
create a spirit of adventure

- then allow manufacturers to to create anything based around that. 4wd/2wd, turbo, non turbo, big engine, small engine, petrol, diesel, hybrid.....as long as they fit within the rules.

Twincam16

Original Poster:

27,646 posts

257 months

Thursday 24th May 2012
quotequote all
sanf said:
Create regs with
fixed power & torque figure
fixed gearbox spec
must use an existing shell from the manufacturer
put a max budget allowence in place
never do more than 13 rounds, 10 fixed, 3 on rotation
makes rallies less perscriptive - reccy, non reccy, give them more flexibility
scrap super rally - focus on endurance
stop obessing about TV deals, and reach out to get the fans on the stages watching
create a spirit of adventure

- then allow manufacturers to to create anything based around that. 4wd/2wd, turbo, non turbo, big engine, small engine, petrol, diesel, hybrid.....as long as they fit within the rules.
I wonder - do you think TOCA could take it over?

Your ideas for a specification sound not unlike those for the NGTC-spec Touring Cars, and ever since they've been brought in the BTCC's been like it was in the '90s, with multiple winners per round and fantastic on-track action because the cars are so evenly matched.

NGRC. Hmmm. scratchchin

ChrisJ.

563 posts

239 months

Thursday 24th May 2012
quotequote all
ArnageWRC said:
.Rallying should be speed & endurance.....looking after your car is just as much a skill as driving flat out....
Exactly...



velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Thursday 24th May 2012
quotequote all
andygo said:
What I can never understand is why the MSA havn't got their backsides into gear and sorted out road closures for stage rallying. There would be lots of competitors dying to have a run and spectators love it.

I suspect some of it is the weary H&S brigade, but there are lots of roads with super potential. And just look at Irish rallying and the Tour of Mull.

Drivers love a challenge, but an awful lot of that went with the extreme sanitisation of night rallies!
You obviously havn't been out on a road rally recently....

MSA are looking very closely at Road Closures, for more Rallies on the mainland and it may well happen, but it won't be the elixir of life. The costs are likely to be as much if not more than Forest Rallying and it's costs which are driving down entries, that and needless rules and safety regulations.

Like you though I would love to see it happen