[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[AL14]

I was a bit confident because sport was doing many step forward (wrc+, China, more manufacturers and more attention in general) but then I see that stupidity can always come back and ruin a lot of the improvement done till now.

14 rounds is the dumber solution they could take. They want to please everyone but in the mid and long term no one will benefit from it. Bravo.

[Toyoda]

I was a bit confident because sport was doing many step forward (wrc+, China, more manufacturers and more attention in general) but then I see that stupidity can always come back and ruin a lot of the improvement done till now.

14 rounds is the dumber solution they could take. They want to please everyone but in the mid and long term no one will benefit from it. Bravo.

IMO the Country with the best rally roads, the friendliest people, the best country side, a WRC driver in the top category and a country rich in motorsport history is once again not in the WRC,

GRRRRRRRR

(Totally biased on all fronts)

[sollitt]

The answers are;

How many fans will turn up for Rally China? You'd hope it's more than 1999 - otherwise what's the point in going? Rallying is a 'live' sport rather than a TV sport.

Very few will turn up to watch. There's little point. Rallying is a TV sport however very few Chinese will watch it.

[rayh_mx]

Sorry I am not sure what you mean, a single 80 km stage? what be great.

Sorry, I wanted to write stage and wrote strecht. This was said by Gilles Spitalier RallyMex CEO in an interview last September 16.

The note in Spanish. http://am.com.mx/irapuato/superdepor...no-230391.html

[N.O.T]

The answers are;


Very few will turn up to watch. There's little point. Rallying is a TV sport however very few Chinese will watch it.

The "very few" in Chinese terms could add up to the population of Germany and France together which is good enough for anyone...

[Rally Power]

That's the point. China is the golden egg goose/chicken to cars manus from all around the world. You need to be there and attract consumers every possible way!

http://www.statista.com/statistics/2...registrations/

For sure it would be wiser to have China only after local organization proved to be 100% capable, but the pressure from top manus it's huge. Probably this extended calendar is going to be a short-lived compromise and has the advantage of avoiding a hasty decision on what current event should go away.

[sollitt]

That's the point. China is the golden egg goose/chicken to cars manus from all around the world. You need to be there and attract consumers every possible way!

There is no question that the Chinese new car market is expanding rapidly. The questions are ... Will the Chinese buy European cars? ... and ... will they take sufficient interest in a motorsport event to notice the brands and to be swayed in their buying decisions?
The answers, in my view, are ... no they won't ... and ... no they won't.

For sure it would be wiser to have China only after local organization proved to be 100% capable ....

This of course, is the country that in recent weeks has seen several large chemical explosions, one decimating an entire port town and killing hundreds, and a lady sucked into an escalator to her death in a swanky Shanghei shopping centre. Health and safety is not a high priority in this place.

[litifeta]

Will the Chinese buy European cars?

You mean Euro brands? Which Euro brands are NOT made in China?

[sollitt]

Which Euro brands are NOT made in China?

They all are. Some are fair representations. Others are badge engineered atrocities made in fortune cookie factories. Fact is, WRC or no WRC, nothing will change because people won't be watching.

[litifeta]

the regular punters might not be watching. But over 60% of the world's population live within 2 time zones of China. They do not watch Euro live events because very often because the time shown is at unsociable hours. This will be a great benefit for many of us. Let's see what the viewing rates are compared to Europe.