Was ending the IRC a mistake ?

[Fran2013]

It is me or the"new" ERC is becoming quite boring ? Was taking over the ERC a mistake made by Eurosport ?

I now find WRC or the F1 much better...

In more detail here are my issues:

Calendar:

-Every single year now you see races being dropped from the calendar only a few weeks before the actual event. No time for substitutes.
-Why are they now trying to get ex-WRC rallies ? Why not trying new unique rallies that would make the calendar much more interesting ?

Teams and drivers:

-Where are they ? With new cars i was expecting much more regular teams and drivers. Every race now seems like a local race, where the winner seems to be someone who doesn´t really care about the ERC. Azores (B.Sousa) Ypres (Loix) Estonia (Tanak) and know almost certain Barum (Pech).

Now, to be the winner of the ERC, you only leed to won 1 rally and finish second or third in one or 2 events and it is done. Quite boring!!

Media:

What is happening with Eurosport ? Almost no Live TV ? 20 Minutes recaps ?

I am from the Azores and i was glad that was Live TV in the Azores rally but i was expecting much more. Those recaps were boring like hell.

[RS]

I see "new" ERC as basically IRC rather than IRC having ended.

In other words the same thing would have happened if it was still called IRC, after FIA killed the S2000 cars.

I expect next year to be better with a smaller calendar and the Fabia R5 coming on song. I guess Skoda will run Kopecky, Lappi and Wiegand next year and Peugeot will stick with the same lineup.

If Peugeot improve their car it could be a good year.

[Fran2013]

I see "new" ERC as basically IRC rather than IRC having ended.

In other words the same thing would have happened if it was still called IRC, after FIA killed the S2000 cars.

I expect next year to be better with a smaller calendar and the Fabia R5 coming on song. I guess Skoda will run Kopecky, Lappi and Wiegand next year and Peugeot will stick with the same lineup.

If Peugeot improve their car it could be a good year.

Last year the same thing was said about 2014 (apart the Fabia R5)

I was looking at some entry lists of IRC 2011 and the quality was so much better than today. And remember that Europe was in crisis and there was also the ERC

Bouffier, Haninnen, Wilks, Loix, Neuville, Kopecky, Mikkelsen, Basso, Sandell, Gardemeister and some more

Now it almost only gentlemen drivers and juniors.

No top French, British, Italian or Spanish driver

[WUff1]

I think economy situation is the reason, with less and less European top drivers being able to compete regularly in ERC, which probably would have liked to (Bouffier, Loix, Basso and others). So besides the works teams it´s just a small handful of drivers like Tarabus, Kajto, Consani etc., which are not absolutely top, who can afford ERC for some time. Others can afford just some few rallies, like Magalhaes.

So local drivers get more chances, especially when the two works teams are not competing or their drivers have to retire.

This year I even find WRC2 more interesting than ERC, whereas last year WRC2 was some kind of boring.

[Jarek Z]

It is me or the"new" ERC is becoming quite boring ? Was taking over the ERC a mistake made by Eurosport ?

(...)

Teams and drivers:

-Where are they ? With new cars i was expecting much more regular teams and drivers.

I'm sorry, but what did you expect? I told you guys on this very forum before the season started, that there will be no drivers who will compete in all rounds of ERC, because nobody can afford competing in as many as 12 rounds! Also adding all those insane island rallies to the calendar makes it even more expensive. And nobody wanted to agree with me! I still don't understand it. It was obvious that it would end like this.
If you like it or not, most drivers in ERC were, are and will be privateers. Therefore this championship needs to be made friendly for privateers. Cut the calendar and cut the island rallies. Heal the championship.

So in my opinion - taking over the ERC was not a mistake made by Eurosport. But running it in an insane way is.

[Fran2013]

I'm sorry, but what did you expect? I told you guys on this very forum before the season started, that there will be no drivers who will compete in all rounds of ERC, because nobody can afford competing in as many as 12 rounds! Also adding all those insane island rallies to the calendar makes it even more expensive. And nobody wanted to agree with me! I still don't understand it. It was obvious that it would end like this.
If you like it or not, most drivers in ERC were, are and will be privateers. Therefore this championship needs to be made friendly for privateers. Cut the calendar and cut the island rallies. Heal the championship.

So in my opinion - taking over the ERC was not a mistake made by Eurosport. But running it in an insane way is.

Do you really think the problem is the island rallies ?

If there was something good about the IRC/ERC were some of the Island Events like the Azores or Madeira.

If you think that the problem is solved cutting this Island rallies and putting Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania then you are very wrong.

ERC is now becoming a 2º league of WRC. Not much different from the WRC2

How much does it cost to do the WRC/WRC2 ?

Why someone would prefer going to ERC instead o WRC2 ?

[Jarek Z]

Do you really think the problem is the island rallies ?

No, it's not the main problem. The biggest problem is the insane number of events in the calendar.

[RS]

Every race now seems like a local race, where the winner seems to be someone who doesn´t really care about the ERC. Azores (B.Sousa) Ypres (Loix) Estonia (Tanak) and know almost certain Barum (Pech).

Actually, this is kind of a strength of ERC that the championship contenders have to beat fast guys like Loix and Pech on home territory (less so Sousa who I think mainly won Azores because the Peugeots broke down and Skoda didn't turn up)

No, it's not the main problem. The biggest problem is the insane number of events in the calendar.

Which is being addressed for next year.

[Filip]

Actually, this is kind of a strength of ERC that the championship contenders have to beat fast guys like Loix and Pech on home territory (less so Sousa who I think mainly won Azores because the Peugeots broke down and Skoda didn't turn up)

Exactly. It is always good to see privateers fighting with factory drivers (and eventually beating them) like Lukyanuk in Estonia or Pech on Barum.

[Jarek Z]

Actually, this is kind of a strength of ERC that the championship contenders have to beat fast guys like Loix and Pech on home territory

Exactly! That is what sport is all about! And what is missing in WRC.