The WRC once a strong sport, is now looking a little weaker with the loss of Nokia's huge sponsorship being a major set back for the sport. This adds to the recent issue that there will be no new venues on next years championship, with existing venues in a row with the FIA over an additional €100,000 fee being charged on rally organizers in 2013 to cover timing and TV coverage, which used to be covered for free by North One Sport. These added costs are a worrying burden for potential and existing rally organizers. But there is always hope, and with the entry of Volkswagen and Mini back into WRC, this is a strengthening sign. There is also hope of a Toyota entry in 2014.
I can't really remember the last time I watched a rally on tv with any interest. I love going to watch them in person, with the "amateur" rallies normally being far more interesting. I think the whole format of WRC Rallying needs to be changed, its been shedding fans for over 20 years and soon they will run out of them.
Completely aggree with this, I've got no interest in the WRC at the moment and find it boring to watch. If I'm flicking though the channels and WRC is on I'll try to watch it, but it doesn't hold my interest for long and I find myself looking for other things to watch. They really do need something to change for it become worth watching.
The problem with WRC is that it's too predictable. Loeb is doing to rallying what Schumacher did to F1.
It's not on TV anymore which doesn't help. It's lost the iconic Subaru team and car and a lot of other factory teams. There are no Brits who really look like winning either. Rally was huge when I grew up in nineties.
I see no realistic opposition to Red Bull taking over the reins. Mateschitz' plan seems to be to out-McDonald McDonald's in terms of global branding, and out-Ferrari Ferrari's traditional mentality within motorsport. He also seems to be as fearless of –and disrespectful to– the FIA as Luca di Montezemolo. I see his bid for the WRC as a conflict of interests which the FIA's impotent President seems willing to ignore. Traditional competitors are finding themselves with an ever more muted voice in rallying and other sponsors will probably lose interest with such an uneven playing field. It may be a welcome boost for rallying as a whole in the short-term but with venues being squeezed, Red Bull will become easily the most powerful entity within the sport, self-publicizing and self-promoting its own success. My opinion is that a competitor within a sport should never be allowed to be a promoter of it, or involved in the running of it*. –NEVER! *A precedent was set long ago in Formula 1; and we all know what colour their cars are…
It doesnt help, but the lack of manufacturer and team competition is really whats killing the sport! You need (IMO) at least 5 different car manufacturers fileding 2 cars which are competitive and then 5 teams of strongly funded and competitive private teams. Having a Loeb competiting against 5 Fords doesnt really make a championship.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102876 Loeb is semi-retiring apparently. Starting next season, he's only entering limited events. Plus VW and Hyundai are entering (Re-entering in Hyundai's case) next year too. Maybe the WRC is being reborn? And red bull are now the official WRC promoters. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102926
Give up on the sport when all the teams pulled out. How can you promote a sport when there are only 2 teams in it? Think WRC needs a rethink and if RB are behind it, hopefully the promotion that comes with it will promote this great sport again. Miss the days of the McCrae v Burns competition, Loebs always seemed methodical to me, but im not an expert. Bring on the competition again!!!
Ford are pulling out now. In a manner of speaking anyway. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103466
The WRC began to die a long time ago. It was in a lose-lose situation long before the nineties. The whole appeal of the WRC was how accessible it was to the ordinary person both as a spectator and as a competitor. The very thing which gave it its appeal, however, was also the thing that began to kill it. The accessibility of the sport to spectators began to get more and more dangerous as the cars got more powerful. The number of tragedies increased and then the 'where there's blame' culture kicked in and rallying had to adhere to health and safety. I'm not for one second saying that safety shouldn't be paramount, but rallying began to lose its soul when safety overtook everything else. As someone who has spectated and marshalled on the RAC rally and competed in rallying (not to WRC standard lol) it saddens me how far it has fallen. Sad days indeed.
The people running the sport are ****ing clueless. WRC needs exposure yet all we get is 2 min youtube videos. I fear the same is now going to happen to F1. Sometimes you have to play the long game.
Completely agree . The days of the Audi quattro , lancia Delta , Peugeot etc are long gone. the sport did get stupid dangerous , but it was magic. now of no real interest, esp as so little coverage.
So glad I found this thread, WRC has got to be the quietest motorsport around at the moment. Yes in the 90's it was big, but today I reckon it is all down to the lack of coverage. And the fact nobody can compete with VW.