2022 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and national rally)
Discussion
Tony1963 said:
I just can’t summon up the interest in a championship that doesn’t visit the U.K. And when it last visited the U.K. those years were centred on Wales. Rally GB? No.
Gimme back the real challenges of the 70s and 80s where the media worked almost as hard as the crews!
How many minutes of the WRC could you watch live back in those golden days? Whilst it’s not perfect coverage, you can at least now watch it all if you want. The world has moved on (and I’m afraid the uk will continue to be become less relevant, but that’s for a different thread…).Gimme back the real challenges of the 70s and 80s where the media worked almost as hard as the crews!
df76 said:
How many minutes of the WRC could you watch live back in those golden days? Whilst it’s not perfect coverage, you can at least now watch it all if you want. The world has moved on (and I’m afraid the uk will continue to be become less relevant, but that’s for a different thread…).
Watching live isn’t the be all and end all. The soul isn’t there anymore for me. There’s endless footage of rallying from the 70s and 80s, a lot of it not great quality, and I find myself watching a lot of it. I only really watch the modern WRC footage because, occasionally, the incredible speed is put across very well. They’re incredible, fast, pointless cars. Perhaps if I could see them competing, get to chat with a few drivers at an event like we used to, I’d feel differently. But as with my other love, rallycross, everything is so bloody ‘Red Bulled’ in presentation now.
Tony1963 said:
Watching live isn’t the be all and end all. The soul isn’t there anymore for me. There’s endless footage of rallying from the 70s and 80s, a lot of it not great quality, and I find myself watching a lot of it.
I do wonder whether we could capture some of the atmosphere in a modern WRC event better if it was recorded in SD on tape and kept to less than 15 mins long. Chuck in a bit of a prog rock interlude and a quip from Tony Pond and we see the viewing figures rocket? This is the problem with most motorsports unless F1...
It's all a niche market & yet many folks think the media should automatically take an interest in it.
I take a passing interest in the WRC thanks to Breen / Evans / Greensmith etc but it has never bothered me that it no longer comes to the UK. I could go to many smaller events in the UK and see more cars & in something like the ITRC driven with as much committment & you don't have an immediate idea who will win (Let's be honest - at the moment Kalle has taken over from the 2 Sebs.)
It's all a niche market & yet many folks think the media should automatically take an interest in it.
I take a passing interest in the WRC thanks to Breen / Evans / Greensmith etc but it has never bothered me that it no longer comes to the UK. I could go to many smaller events in the UK and see more cars & in something like the ITRC driven with as much committment & you don't have an immediate idea who will win (Let's be honest - at the moment Kalle has taken over from the 2 Sebs.)
It just comes down to competition for the motorsport viewer's attention.
It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
greeny12 said:
It just comes down to competition for the motorsport viewer's attention.
It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
I'd also add... if you were magically transported back to a mid 80's rally in the UK and then told those drivers to keep their cars because they will still be competitive 40 years later you'd shake your head in disbelief.It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
IMHO rallying need to create 3 variants of the sport:
1) a traditional branch that keeps the clubman happy - Mk2 Escorts, Pug 205's and SV or forest rallying. Will probably get phased out of forests within 10 years, but tarmac and SV will continue.
2) EV rallying, with 2 or 3 stages per day, possibly single venue, increasing the stage mileage as technology improves. Run alongside the above, high power, high cost manufacturer led. Possibly start with a single demo run over the power stage and move on from there.
3) Re-invention of the mid '30's RAC rally tour of Britain. Take your standard EV and drive it 2000 miles around Britain, keeping to time, the odd speed or manouvreabilty test thrown in. Visit towns and cities and show people what EV's can do. I.e Reinvent the pioneering age of rallying.
I am particularly keen to see how the latter of those three might evolve, you may end up with proper rallying again - but with EV's in the fullness of time. It brings back the production car element, the endurance element but with a modern vehicle.
greeny12 said:
It just comes down to competition for the motorsport viewer's attention.
It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
You make some good points. It's within my living memory that not every F1 race was broadcast live, let alone qualifying, etc. Le Mans you were lucky to get a 20 mins round-up on World of Sport. Motorcycling perhaps the British race live and that was it. BTCC? Forget it!
Now it's all live, all the time. And you can add in WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, Superbikes, Formula E, etc etc.
Rallying has no chance to get any decent sunlight on it with that canopy of Giant (and not so giant) Redwoods above it. And without that sunlight, it will wither. It's not the sport's fault, it's just the way things go. I bet if you'd said to somebody in the 50s that speedway would become the nichest of niches in Britain they wouldn't have believed you. Same for a rally fan in the 70s and 80s...
The reason there's no British round at the moment has got F-all to do with our "standing" in the world and everything to do with the fact that nobody sees any payback from bankrolling it. And I for one couldn't blame them.
I can recall as recently as 1994, the season opener, in Brazil wasn't shown live on BBC; it was shown delayed/ highlights at 9 o'clock from memory. Qualifying on a Saturday was usually a 5-10 minutes report with Murray - only the British GP had live qualifying. I recall the Beeb only stated showing qualifying live consistently in 1996.
And they'd only show the 500cc British GP, and Le Mans would only get the first 10-20 minutes, and the last 5-10 minutes on BBC Grandstand. However, all were available on Screensport/ Eurosport.
And as for rallying, I firmly believe a lot of its issues are self inflicted; things could/ should be different, but they've chosen to go down a path - and reaped the rewards, or not. And you're right about no British WRC round; and it's been obvious for years that once the Welsh funding stopped, there wasn't a successor in place. And why would there be?
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
3) Re-invention of the mid '30's RAC rally tour of Britain. Take your standard EV and drive it 2000 miles around Britain, keeping to time, the odd speed or manouvreabilty test thrown in. Visit towns and cities and show people what EV's can do. I.e Reinvent the pioneering age of rallying.
I am particularly keen to see how the latter of those three might evolve, you may end up with proper rallying again - but with EV's in the fullness of time. It brings back the production car element, the endurance element but with a modern vehicle.
I honestly can’t imagine anyone except maybe some sad losers watching EVs do anything competitive. There’s no music, no soul, no reason to go to a service area. I am particularly keen to see how the latter of those three might evolve, you may end up with proper rallying again - but with EV's in the fullness of time. It brings back the production car element, the endurance element but with a modern vehicle.
But hey. I’m 58!
I took my 17 year old nephew to Brands for the Masters Historic meeting last month. And like me, when those DFVs accelerated out of the pit lane, he had goosebumps. Yes, he had an emotional response to a sensation. He wasn’t staring blankly at endless data.
Should be a good event; formerly known as the Pirelli International Rally, which was part of the BRC
https://kielderforestrally.co.uk/spectators-timeta...
https://kielderforestrally.co.uk/spectators-timeta...
The coming weekend sees the WRC East African Safari Rally, Argyll Stages in Dunoon, plus the Sweetlamb Rally Time Trial.
In other news, Sebastien Ogier has called time on his WEC campaign; wants to spend more time with the family...
I wonder if Toyota are only going to run 2 cars next season, and his current pace is nowhere near quick enough to warrant a seat.
In other news, Sebastien Ogier has called time on his WEC campaign; wants to spend more time with the family...
I wonder if Toyota are only going to run 2 cars next season, and his current pace is nowhere near quick enough to warrant a seat.
ArnageWRC said:
The coming weekend sees the WRC East African Safari Rally, Argyll Stages in Dunoon, plus the Sweetlamb Rally Time Trial.
In other news, Sebastien Ogier has called time on his WEC campaign; wants to spend more time with the family...
I wonder if Toyota are only going to run 2 cars next season, and his current pace is nowhere near quick enough to warrant a seat.
Good point. Neither is Rossi's in the Audi GT. It just shows skillz are not always transferable. In other news, Sebastien Ogier has called time on his WEC campaign; wants to spend more time with the family...
I wonder if Toyota are only going to run 2 cars next season, and his current pace is nowhere near quick enough to warrant a seat.
Sweetlamb reminds me of the that marathon stage in Network Q RAC rally on the PC. The car always went to s
t in that stage, and Tony mason would go quiet for ages and then all of a sudden 'HARD LEFT'
Edited by boholoblanka on Wednesday 22 June 13:57
Drumroll said:
Was out on shakedown today for the keilder stages rally. David Llewellin was there overseeing his lad putting some time in.
Will be out on the rally tomorrow and then up at Dunoon for the Argyll stages next weekend.
A friend (silver Chevette) was out on the Kielder stages. Enjoyed the event.Will be out on the rally tomorrow and then up at Dunoon for the Argyll stages next weekend.
Which stage are you out on for the Argyll?
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