2011 IRC: rallies, drivers, teams, plans?

[Mirek]

Sanction is a bad word for that. It's just an entry fee for the event and it's not that much for thousand times better quality of drivers and coverage compared to ERC. Moreover if they have money, they can buy live stages, in ERC not at all.

[vino_93]

He got support from Skoda.ie like Loix gets from Skoda.be.

thx

[AndyRAC]

I have been suggesting this for a while - it would give the IRC some FIA status and it would give ERC decent television coverage and publicity. It would also mean there was a decent official second tier championship for rallying (like what GP2 is to F1)

The draft calendar looks pretty good to me. Better balance of asphalt/gravel than this year and still retaining the 'IRC classics' apart from Monte.

Quite agree, the ERC is in a TV vacuum, the IRC gets good, sometimes great TV coverage. Staying in Europe cuts down on travelling costs - it's really a no brainer!!
Still think it's a shame about the Monte, the IRC 'rescued' a struggling event - and turned it around into a proper Monte - and voila, the WRC take it back. I would replace the Monte with Valais...was impressed with that event in 2008.

[RS]

Quite agree, the ERC is in a TV vacuum, the IRC gets good, sometimes great TV coverage. Staying in Europe cuts down on travelling costs - it's really a no brainer!!
Still think it's a shame about the Monte, the IRC 'rescued' a struggling event - and turned it around into a proper Monte - and voila, the WRC take it back. I would replace the Monte with Valais...was impressed with that event in 2008.

Yes, Valais was a nice event.

Speculation in Autosport magazine today said they are trying to start the season with a snow event in Finland or Norway but if that fails it will start in Scotland.

[Hartusvuori]

Craig Breen tweets:

More great news people, we have been able to put a package together to go to IRC Rally of Scotland in our Fiesta S2000! Exciting times!

[AndyRAC]

Yes, Valais was a nice event.

Speculation in Autosport magazine today said they are trying to start the season with a snow event in Finland or Norway but if that fails it will start in Scotland.

Yeah, I read that. The problem seems to be the cost of having only snow event, i;e too expensive. It really needs to happen, an International Rally series needs a snow event.
As for Rally Scotland - it will open the season in March, which is late to start a season, but only 5 months after the 2011 event. Let's hope it runs, so far, the event has been very poorly supported by British Rallying.

[Luis Pacheco]

The Azores in April is good for the local economy but the possibility of heavy rains is very high. For years the first rally of the year in San Miguel, scheduled in April, was canceled several times due to the damage of heavy rainfall...

[bluuford]

Nice points by Subaru and Mitsu in Hungary: http://ircseries.com/html/uploadedfi...2011_D_IRC.pdf
Much more than Peugeot and Skoda ;-)
Good to see that no championships cannot be decided before Scotland :-)

[mousti]

Test of Loix with a Fabia with new lights.. New spec of car?

IR7.at / IR7media.com

[RS]

Test of Loix with a Fabia with new lights.. New spec of car?

IR7.at / IR7media.com

Why is Loix testing on gravel? For Scotland and Cyprus?

Fabia is available with a "black pack" with lights such as this but I didn't think they looked exactly like that.