The new FIA WRC-car concept 2017

[makinen_fan]

Totally agree with you Mirek, but unfortunately I cant see this happening (at least not in the near future). They have tried too desperately to force the sport to grow and destroyed its own nature during the last 1 1/2 decade. I too agree that a step backwards may be the wiser choice, and the car technical regulations do not really matter after all if the sporting side is right

[AndyRAC]

I find it ironic that person most responsible for the current WRC, (DR) has now decided that it’s not working, and that we should go back to its roots. The ‘clover-leaf’/ 9-5 format was to enable TV to produce nightly reports. With current technology you can have more expansive routes – butt do organisers, teams, etc really want this?

[Eli]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114063

[Rally Power]

I think that generally too much weight is placed on technical rules for cars. In my opinion there shall be much more discussion about calendar, about the form of each event etc. For example in my opinion the standardized format was a wrong step. Rallying from its nature brings variety (in surfaces, scenery, people). It shall make maximum use from the variety while it's the opposite in reality. That's why I would suggest to give organizers the biggest possible freedom. If one wants to run the event over the whole country why not? If other wants to have for example a complete night leg why not? There's no need for 13 events in calendar. If there is just 8 but really big events it would be better. By really big I mean that such event shall ideally be No.1 sporting event in the country in the time. That's the case for Monte Carlo, for Argentina or Finland. The other thing is off course media promotion which has been quite horrible in last years.

Totally agree. I've wrote a very similar post a few days ago.

We can always be talking about the need for new and exciting cars, but current 1.6T WRC cars have only 3 and a half years! Somehow it's like wishing to replace our girlfriend just because we keep looking for a sexier girl...not very mature!

Gr. 4 was the top category for 10 years, Gr. A was also there for 10 years, WRC 2.0 for 14 years and Gr. B was the unfortunate exception in this stability record (only 4 years), as we all know.

Our forum mate 'giu tutto' made this sharp observation:
"When lot of people are interested about the product, the media and the money will be there also. And when there is lot of people, media and money, the manufacturers will be there also, for sure".

This is really what we all (from hardcore fans like us to the FIA guys) should be looking to: the essence of the 'rally product'!

Is this essence mainly linked with the type of car or the driver profile or even the manufacturer status? Probably not; maybe it has more to do with the outstanding level of human challenge that a rally course can provide.

If we ease the level of this challenge, turning it into a sort of ‘day at the office effort’, will certainly have find a way to alienate the rally product. That’s what we've been steadily doing for the last two decades!

[Eli]

http://www.irallylive.com/ir_news.htm?00006759&10

[Jack4688`]

The current cars are ‘production based’, but are really prototypes, so why not go the whole way and make proper prototypes?

I agree, that would make the cars so much more interesting - even if every other technical aspect of the cars were the same. The biggest issue I have, as a fan, of the current cars (not necessarily the rulebook) is that there isn't enough variety in the bodyshape. We used to have 3door hatchbacks, 5 door hatchbacks, 5 door fastbacks (Octavia WRC), 3 door coupes (Celica), 2 door coupes (1997 Impreza) and 4 door saloons, though not all at the same time

[dimviii]

[AndyRAC]

No thanks!! End of.

[giù tutto!]

On the other hand rally is like horse racing or sailing; there is a skill, a tool and circumstance. Of course very skilful driver will do miracles even with lawn mower, but it’s sounds little bit weird to say, that there’s no matter about the technical rules at the top level of rally. How on earth the sporting side will be alright, if the most skilful drivers prefer to choose some other motorsport and we will get only the driver with the thickest wallet to the rally?

There was a time, when FIA and manufacturers had the best steaks in town, but they became too greedy. They thought that people will come again, no matter who make the steaks. They took new chefs, because everybody wanted to be a famous chef at the famous restaurant. They even found out that people would like to pay, if they only got a chance to be the chef. It was a horrible mistake. There was only one wise restaurant, a French kitchen, which decided to take the best chef only, no compromises...

When the customers are gone, it takes lot of time and work to get them back. In that point it's good to remember, what was "the thing", why they had come there before.

[dimviii]

No thanks!! End of.

why? is so simple!