The solution to the WRC

[stefanvv]

“The logical conclusion is to deduce that the WRC promoter is no more than an agent who seeks to profit from the organisers being dealt with. But for whose advantage? Is the WRC promoter any more than a fund raiser for FIA? Where does promotion of the World Rally Championship come into the picture?

Totally agree. Its not like rbmh are uncapable of doing somthing right.

[N.O.T]

At the end of the day if you want to make money you have to spend, the thing is rallying was always the sport for the few, compared to ladytrack sports it is hard to spectate, hard to understand who the winner is (for the unitiated) and hard to cover it on TV.

So any promoter will have to take a risk to expose the sport to the public and spend money on live coverage, better camera spots and better presentation, but when he sees the caveats i mentioned above is sceptical to do so because it may very well be money thrown down the drain, and that is why i somehow understand Capito when he looks for ways to change the sport.

The sport was way better in the early 00s because back then the situation was economically far better so companies did not care if they spend money on nothing. Like china and the emirates do today....

The world is changing and the older you get the harder will be for you to understand these changes, by holding evolution back you just making a dinosaur out of a sport.... let it evolve and then judge if the changes are good or not.

[stefanvv]

You're right as well, especially that WRC is not that popular as curcuit racing motorsports. But this makes me think, ok - what is the role of promoter? Isn't to make the sport popular, not just for fans, but also for the companies potentially interested in investment in it. So currently it looks like "the sport is not popular, and we'll only lose money trying to make better coverage, so we must change the format to make it popular, then we can promote it to average joe". This looks like little funny hen and egg situation, so which must come first?

[Lousada]

You're right as well, especially that WRC is not that popular as curcuit racing motorsports.

How did you come to this conclusion? Apart from F1 and some select meetings like the Le Mans 24h, rallying is a whole lot more popular than circuit racing. Just because circuit racing organisers say it is popular doesn't mean it is.

Simple example, just look at the world rallycross event in Belgium last weekend. The announced spectators was 25.000. Yet the only spectator areas were a grassy knoll some 100 metres long and 7 metres high, and some small temp grandstands. Imagine a football stadium of 25.000 people. How big and tall the grandstands are, everybody shoulder to shoulder. And then imagine them on a rallycross track... won't work. Yet Rallycross is supposedly the 'it'-sport right now because it is so popular and young and fresh and blabla.

[stefanvv]

How did you come to this conclusion?

Easy, just look at tv coverage percentage. Of course it might be different from country to country, but globally, this is the case

[Rallyper]

The role of a promoter is to show a popular sport being from proper rules that attract carmakers and competitors. If rules are good and competion thrilling the promoter has an easier job. However they have to move forward and not be static, showing only pics from junctions etz.