[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[Hartusvuori]

Winners nationality since 1979 between the two countries: 16-12 (France - Finland)

This stat goes since 1973. And it's 14 Finns and 18 French.

http://www.juwra.com/driver_wins_by_nationalities.html

[jbmarcus21]

Grönholm debuts new 2017 spec Polo Wrc http://planetemarcus.com/marcus-gron...velle-vw-2017/

[giu canbera]

is there any footage of the Toyota Mirai Hydrogen car showed during this last event?

[Simmi]

is there any footage of the Toyota Mirai Hydrogen car showed during this last event?

No one could hear it coming in time to get the video camera out. Dangerous thing to have on the rally stages really.

[Rally Power]

You are totally wrong about Dakar race in China media side.
The only motor sport have been broadcast(CCTV5, the largest sport TV program in China) in china every year is Dakar, and this has been lasted for many years only because many Chinese car makers involved in Dakar.
For most people they have no idea about WRC/WTCC whatever this kind of touring car race.

It doesn't surprise that WRC get's unnoticed in China, but it's strange to heard the same about WTCC. Wasn't Ma the first Chinese to get a victory in a FIA world championship event? What about Formula E, Team China Racing was implicated in Piquet's title, that should create some interest in local motorsport fans...

Either way, Peugeot Dakar program's still useless: they went wrong choosing 2wd. I'm hoping for another failure in 2016 edition in order to get them back to WRC!

[itix]

It doesn't surprise that WRC get's unnoticed in China, but it's strange to heard the same about WTCC. Wasn't Ma the first Chinese to get a victory in a FIA world championship event? What about Formula E, Team China Racing was implicated in Piquet's title, that should create some interest in local motorsport fans...

Either way, Peugeot Dakar program's still useless: they went wrong choosing 2wd. I'm hoping for another failure in 2016 edition in order to get them back to WRC!

I'm kind of hoping the same... I hope their RX efforts end up in the dust too. If they manage to build a -17 regs 208 that is equally pretty to the R5 that would be so awesome!

[shaitan]

It doesn't surprise that WRC get's unnoticed in China, but it's strange to heard the same about WTCC. Wasn't Ma the first Chinese to get a victory in a FIA world championship event? What about Formula E, Team China Racing was implicated in Piquet's title, that should create some interest in local motorsport fans...

Either way, Peugeot Dakar program's still useless: they went wrong choosing 2wd. I'm hoping for another failure in 2016 edition in order to get them back to WRC!

For most people racing is just a kind of fashion, that is the reason why only F1 race was familiar with the public.

In past few years Dongfeng-Citroen bring huge effort to marketing side about their WRC/WTCC programs(including Sebatien Loeb and Qinghua Ma). The funny thing is that they sell their car very well not because they have brilliant motor sports effort, it is just because people think Citroen is an European brand, like 'God-car' VW's in China.

The main reason Dongfeng-Citroen have a good reputation because they were second car makers in Chinese modern car history back in 1990s, maybe the millstone was the new Dongfeng-Citroen Fukang AX/ZX/988(Coming from Citroen 1990 ZX model) when they introduced in 1997~1998.

Like old time A1GP, no one care about Formula E, things could not be getting better even if we have a local round world rally event.

[Jack4688`]

If VW and Citroen are doing so well there then why is it so important to go to China? Sure it could help them immeasurably on top of what they already do but isn't increasing sales in a struggling market important? By struggling I mean where the brand in particular has a bad reputation, not somewhere where everybody is in poverty and no one is buying cars.

Don't get me wrong I'm not poo-pooing the idea of going to China. Like the 1999 event it could be an interesting rally, but why this insistence of "we sell 10 billion cars a year in China, therefore we must compete there to increase those sales further". If the Chinese aren't interested in WTCC what have Citroen got out of it? I thought that was a big reason for them going to WTCC and why they used the C-Elysee (correct me if I'm wrong but that's sold in China right?).

With F1 and especially WTCC it seems like the sports need China more than China wants them.

[semsem]

Jack4688 is right. Does China need the WRC? Exactly the point of the feature story in MotorsportMonday.com two weeks ago (edition 126)!

[Eli]

http://www.rallye-magazin.de/wm/nach...-nicht-global/
looks like Corica will get the can next year, i truely hope they take away sardegna and bring it back to sanremo