World Rally Cross

[TommoAE86]

chunder27 said:

Doran is there

Even more reason not to go.

To be fair this event is aimed at punters, not rallycross fans, the track is garbage, and the RX is not the main draw, singers are.

So if you have any soul whatsoever, you will not attend, if you do, you are helping to destroy rallycross in my eyes.

So don't go to Silverstone

but also don't go to Lydden...

chunder27 said:

All these poeple harping on about Lydden

Last time I went there a few years ago, there was hardly any dirt on the loos sections, the parking was terrible the queueing even worse.

Was a truly miserable experience for a fairly hefty price tag, with no supports classes and only about 15 supercars.

So, really as a day otu, it lost its edge a few years before that when IMG got involved, (no surprise there)

Where would you like WRX to happen in the UK? Genuine question.

[bigbadbikercats]

Re-instating the old Brands Hatch circuit (or something like it) would be very cool but it isn’t going to happen...

I can live with Lydden for all its faults but Silverstone as a sideshow for an expensive event I’ve got little or no interest in is right out for all sorts of reasons. I find myself in an awkward position - I’d like the promoters to lose enough money never to do anything like this again but not so much as to put anyone else off promoting international rally cross in this country...

[chunder27]

I would not watch WRX anywhere to be honest, especially in the UK.

it is not really rallycross as it was a few years ago.

Massive money, huge budgets, taken away completely from the amateur, and only a few teams capable of running it, to the detriment of everyone else.

There are no circuits really that can run WRX in the UK now.

Lydden of 10 years ago maybe, but not he awful modern iteration.

But hey the kids love it, so who cares.

[Leggy]

Mmmm. Just got back from the day at Silverstone and the Speed Machine event. Clearly a lot of hard work went in to organising this but i won’t be returning if the format is the same.

We had early bird tickets bought in October which included Grandstand seats. But due to administrative issues our tickets didn’t say this so had to plead to let in every time.

In the words of one of the competitors in the RX he said the new circuit was “crap”. I’d agree. It was too short and not very exiting. The racing was eventful and entertaining but over too quickly. £50 for this was too much.
The displays on the infill after where mediocre and no commentary to explain what we were looking at.
The food was a rip off. It looked good quality but they where taking advantage of a captive audience.
The exhibits where okay, but seen the same at Race Retro, which is a bargain by comparison.
The Jaguar driving was very good though, but was told queues of 2 hours on Saturday.

The music. Didn’t appeal at all and could see no connection with the racing. We left before it started along with hundreds of others.
In conclusion it’s too expensive, the music didn’t make sense, the track needs sorting and the racing longer. Was at Thruxton for BTCC last week at it was 100 times better on all counts.

[chunder27]

Sadly, I knew that would be the case a long, long time ago and had no intention of wasting my money.

I spent 20 quid today watching cold war jets at Brunthingthorpe, and was probably closer to the planes that are far more dangerous and far more impressive than anyone at WRX was.

Hope this event falls on its arse, it deserves to.

[Pericoloso]

Which driver called the track crap ?

Just watched final on youtube ,track looked no worse than others I've seen.

[Craikeybaby]

I enjoyed it! Having said that, I probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been run like a normal event at Silverstone, say the WEC. However I guess Silverstone spent a fair amount on the new track and can see why they made it a festival to try and recoup their money quicker. I heard that there were 27,000 people there on Sunday, to my eyes that included a lot of non-motorsport types too.

My Dad thought the tickets he’d bought included grandstands and it seemed like we weren’t the only ones disappointed. I didn’t mind the walking around as there were some good views, especially near the jump, and you could see the whole track from almost anywhere. The main gripe was lack of ice cream vans!

The racing was close, but I was expecting a bit more overtaking, it has been a while since I’ve watched rally cross, so not sure if that’s how it is now, or if it was down to the track.

[TommoAE86]

I went to see what it was like:

Good:
- organisation on all fronts (people, car park, food, toilets)
- lots of space, we had a good setup between the first chicane and the jump
- exhibits were well laid out in the wing and there was a good variety of them

Bad:
- Paddock was really weirdly organised
- Grandstand was defo not full at any stage of the day, also you had to have specific tickets which everyone was confused about (it should say in the writing on your ticket, which was in a tiny font)
- The worst thing about the day though was that you're so far from the action, I'm not about to spend bazillions on a long lense so most of my pictures were crap
- The track is also crap, apart from turn 1

I'm afraid that the pain of leaving Lydden after the event is over is far outweighed by the brilliance of the track/venue so I'm probably going to become one of those harping on about it leaving that location. Agree with the points above and would rather it made the impossible return to Brands Hatch.

Won't go next year so will try to get back to Loheac or try another one out instead, the racing is always so much fun!! Wish Petter could get a good weekend for once and I have my fingers crossed for the GCK cars to get into the final more

[ImJimbo]

Craikeybaby said:

My Dad thought the tickets he’d bought included grandstands and it seemed like we weren’t the only ones disappointed.

Same here. We managed to sneak into the grandstands post the final which really showed how much they need more banking or seating for viewing.

Not as bad as I expected, loved the car show element of this but found it hard to get a decent view point of the racing.

For the £22.50 I paid, I was happy enough. If I'd have paid £50, I'd have expected seating etc too.

[VictoriaYorks]

We snuck into the grandstand too to watch the group b stuff. It's a long day to be on your feet all day.
We watched from near the car wash place, good view of the jump and a couple of the corners.
I hope it's back there next year, although we'd probably only do the 5 hour round trip if the ARX was there again too.
As above, the lack of ice cream vans seemed odd, and far too many places had run out of water considering you weren't allowed to take anything in, although we didn't have bags checked.

[redlancer]

1st time I've been to a live rally cross.
I'm a rally fan so go to many a forest to watch it live and always do the 4 days in the Welsh forests for the WRC, I love the close to the action feel, so i'm not an arm chair fan.

So my thoughts on rally cross.
We really enjoyed it. It was really good entertainment. But i could see how maybe the track wasn't the best. Flat and mostly tarmac by the end.
We watched most of it from the grandstand which sort of goes against what i like as I'd never go to the WRC equivalent but for this sort of racing, or atleast at Silverstone it worked for us. Reminded me a lot of mario kart 600bhp style

As for the event in total, there was lots to do.
the Golf-R experience was brilliant, ex racing drivers racing each other with you as a passenger, we did this 5 times and not once missed any on track action.
Got to drive the new Megane Rs around Silverstone and went out in the F-type for a bit off sidewards action.
I love the paddocks being part of the walking area, cars moving amongst the public I love classic lemans for this reason.
So all good fun.

For me it was a relaxed weekend of motorsport and cars

Getting in and out was hassle free.


I don't know how much the entry with grandstand costs, as i was lucky enough to win the tickets. Which also might help with my overall experience
The tickets i had would of been £200 per person so I'd have to think hard to pay that amount as i'd also need a hotel. We had the overdrive lounge included, which would of been nice if it had rained but was nothing special and not worth the extra, what ever that would be.

I can see the appeal for an old school circuit, but if your still behind fences and similar distance away, then places like silverstone can offer so much more.

Some off the comments wanting the event to fail does seem odd as we could miss out of it all togrther.
Making it more family friendly also brings new blood into a sport with could lead onto them support other disciplines like rallying and the future of the sport.

All in all a great 3 days and we'll definatley be thinking of about going next year.

[chunder27]

And there you have it

A meeting like this costing 200 quid.

That is insane for a race meeting.

But people like this seem happy to pay it, which is why it will never be back at Lydden

Thanks chap, you just ruined rallycross for the average working man, enjoy lll!

[redlancer]

chunder27 said:

And there you have it

A meeting like this costing 200 quid.

That is insane for a race meeting.

But people like this seem happy to pay it, which is why it will never be back at Lydden

Thanks chap, you just ruined rallycross for the average working man, enjoy lll!

Really, there may be a lot of people like myself that never thought of going to watch rally cross due to the main venue being the other side of the country for the prime event. I didn't think i'd enjoy it as much as i did as I normally watch rallies where you can get up close to the cars and with a bit of effort away from the main pens.
I'll put the effort in when i like something, so now on my radar is rally cross and more local ones, like Pembry or Croft.

The 200 quid is with all the VIP and lounges extras which arn't needed.

I have no idea the cost of the normal tickets and what discounts you can get with a bit of digging around. Even if it was £100 it would still be cheaper to me than a £50 Lydden ticket due to extra distance and definatley needing a hotel plus having to take extra time off work.
Kids were free, which isnt' the norm these days.

WRC is £100 for the 4 days, I've never paid more than £75 as discounts are avialable. So I guess with a bit of digging around these would also be availabe at discounts.

Edited by redlancer on Wednesday 30th May 09:53

Edited by redlancer on Wednesday 30th May 09:56

[Dan BSCS]

chunder27 said:

And there you have it

A meeting like this costing 200 quid.

That is insane for a race meeting.

But people like this seem happy to pay it, which is why it will never be back at Lydden

Thanks chap, you just ruined rallycross for the average working man, enjoy lll!

You really are a bundle of fun aren’t you! Like a cross between Marvin and Ee-Ore!

I have never seen one positive post from you on ANY subject on PistonHeads, EVER!

Just lighten up!

[chunder27]

Why would I give a flying about what you thin about what I post?

I certainly wouldn't waste time on a thread pointing it out.

Just ignore stuff if you don't like it.

I speak from being a fan of this sport since 1985, so am more qualified than most to voice concerns about what is being done.

So, to put it bluntly. Up yours.

[n3il123]

Dan BSCS said:

You really are a bundle of fun aren’t you! Like a cross between Marvin and Ee-Ore!

I have never seen one positive post from you on ANY subject on PistonHeads, EVER!

Just lighten up!

I was kind of thinking the same to be honest...

[ImJimbo]

chunder27 said:

I would not watch WRX anywhere to be honest, especially in the UK.

it is not really rallycross as it was a few years ago.

Massive money, huge budgets, taken away completely from the amateur, and only a few teams capable of running it, to the detriment of everyone else.

There are no circuits really that can run WRX in the UK now.

Lydden of 10 years ago maybe, but not he awful modern iteration.

But hey the kids love it, so who cares.

With this in mind, there's probably no need for you to comment on this thread atall.

As a kid, I loved F1, now I have the same opinion about it as you do WRX however you won't find me in the F1 threads.

Rally X has evolved to big budgets and does now require a track with world class facilities to keep teams but more importantly sponsors happy.

The only positive that you can hope for here is that WRX gains a new following which brings an interest to British Rallycross. This already seems to be happening slightly with drivers such as David Higgins joining the ranks with occasional guest drivers providing additional exposure to the series. The working man can therefore enjoy Rally X for less than over inflated Silverstone prices.

[chevronb37]

I perpetuated the downfall of rallycross by going to Silverstone at the weekend. I go to scores of events each year including a few trips abroad and enjoy all sorts of racing so I'm no rallycross purist, I'm afraid. I've previously only been to WRX at Lydden and Barcelona though I've done the British championship at Croft a few times.

We decided to do Silverstone as a weekend away with a couple of friends. We took an AirBnB and made a mini break out of it, enjoying beers after the racing while watching the music. Having been at Silverstone the previous weekend for Blancpain, I can confirm I felt infinitely more welcome as a punter at WRX. I thought the whole thing was fantastic. The food was varied and reasonably priced; my wife is vegan and she had multiple options rather than having to settle for chips. Even Goodwood fails to adequately provide a decent vegan meal. I thought the paddock access was really good and the boulevard as the cars went from the garages to the assembly area was a bit theatrical and fun. All the exhibits in the garages were top drawer too without ropes around the cars.

The circuit isn't thrilling but the spectating was good over at the jump - plenty of drama! We sat up in the grandstand at the end of Sunday for the Group B rallycross and rally demos. The view really was very good but the issue over ticketing was a nuisance. These things happen though.

It's evident that this was quite a different kind of event - not an earthy, grassroots affair - but I found the whole thing utterly diverting. I'd definitely go again. We're now dealing with a professional, FIA world championship and so a more inclusive experience is to be expected. I'm all for it and you can still freeze your nuts off at Croft in March if you want a more authentic rallycross day out.

[chunder27]

And this is what the promoter wants, he wants people who will spend hundreds of pounds at an event, on food, drink, local area. Whereas I and thousands of other rallycross fans of a generation would scoff at 30 quid on the day ticket.

If you are new, you don't know any better and that is what the promoter wants, they don't want people like me who simply want to watch.

It is an easy sell to a track then.

Sadly, that takes the sport away from where it has ALWAYS been, a largely amateur event, for working men and working men to watch. Drag racing has the right idea, two big events a year, literally dawn to dusk racing, 35 quid. Like it or loath it, that is value, and that is also an FIA series.

People think rallycross as always been expensive at the top level, but it really wasn't even in the GpB days, the performance you were buying in the late 80's for praps 20k, was staggering.

Motorsport is becoming more and more a rich mans sport to watch. And that is where I leave it. I find myself attending less and less big events these days as they simply are instruments of profit, not value or entertainment.

But, there will always be, sadly for older fans like me who realise they are being fleeced, people who will happily pay hundreds of pounds to watch a largely still amateur sport at a lousy venue with a bit of a lick of paint and some posh food. Same as they will happily pay hundreds of pounds to watch sport on telly when they never used to yet it was always there, same as they will pay ever more for concert tickets, major sports events, etc etc.

There are always those that say, Don't comment, go away. But where's the fun in that.

I was there in the good times, and that is what annoys me so much about what is going on now, this isn't progress for everyone, it is only for the chosen few.

[chevronb37]

I’ve been to hundreds of events around the world from Bathurst to Indy and tried watching most things at some point - from a quarter mile oval race in Canada to Rechbergrennen in Austria via rally cars through the Finnish forests. I just love watching motor racing. This week I’m off to the IOM TT - maybe stopping in at Oulton Park for a clubbie on my way to the ferry. I doubt I’m really core Speedmachine fodder. But I thought it’d be fun to spend a weekend with my wife and some friends indulging in our hobby. They probably wouldn’t have gone just to watch the racing but good food, beer, company, racing and fun music is a great combination!

Sadly the old days of rallycross are long gone. Domestic championships maybe remain amateur but the top tier of the sport is now a pukka world championship and the typical spectator is different now. Judging by the attention people were giving the racing and the amount of merchandise from other events (I saw t-shirts and caps from several other rounds being worn by people), I’d say the promoter has struck the right balance.

As for decent food, motor racing is slowly moving out of the dark ages. The provision at most events is poor and overpriced. The food at Silverstone this weekend was genuinely decent and the pricing was fine. I’d be the first one to moan if it hadn’t been. By comparison, Blancpain the previous weekend featured no vendors on the outfield at all except behind Luffield. I think Speedmachine - rather than illustrating the demise of our sport - is actually showing how it should be done.

Just offering an alternative point-of-view. I am genuinely sorry that you have lost the sport you loved. I have been going to events for over 30 years and my heart still beats faster every time I see a race track. The spectacle of racing machines being driven to the limit of their potential never loses its fascination.