Does The WRC Need China?

[sollitt]

It's absolute nonsense that "the WRC needs China". There is no gain for either the WRC or the manufacturers to participate anywhere that they will not be noticed.
If VW want bang for their marketing buck in China they should sponsor the Ping Pong or the Chinese Checker championship.

The way to promote the WRC and it's participants is to stage high quality, well promoted, iconic events in traditional locations and to entice competitors from around the globe.
A lone Chinaman winning the Tour de France would create more media in China that staging a copycat event in downtown Beijing.

A world championship doesn't need to travel. What it needs is to be accessible to competitors from around the world with an appropriate formula and a location enabling affordable participation.

China? Phooey!

[Lundefaret]

I think one first must see the different motivations for going to China.

The Chinese market is off course extremely exiting for a car manufacturer. But selling cars via the WRC circus is not an easy job, if Your aim is to sell cars to Chinese people in China.
As solute points out, the crowd response in China to motorsport isn't huge.

So, why IS China important (we now it is because big companies/teams want to take the WRC there).

1) It could be a way of selling the WRC project to the board in the company. Marketing money sits loose when the word China is uttered.

2) It could be a way to sell China, to European tourists. Why would that be good? Because the companies paying for it (Citroën, VW, Hyundai) could be given benefits from the Chinese government.

3) It could be used to sell cars to Chinese in China, but this would require a centrilized event with the possibility of huge crowds.

A Chinese event could be done with a race from one big city to the next, with start and stop being rally festivals in the City centre with super specials, and a big circus around it.

It could be held whit one city as the start, and finish etc.

But both these events would require a lot in both organization and marketing, but could be more beneficial for the Chinese market than staging it around The Great Wall or another tourist destination.

Rally has one VERY important core value, and that is the possibility of bringing the show to the fans, and to the people.
In my mind Fafe in Portugal, the Swedish and Finnish rally, an Irish event, bringing back The Safari, bringing back the true RAC rally, doing the Monte as it should be done, having maybe one more event in Eastern Europe, etc, would maybe be more important for the future of the WRC than staging a Chinese event - if nothing special is made by this opportunity to make it a real experience/adventure.

[AL14]

In my mind Fafe in Portugal, the Swedish and Finnish rally, an Irish event, bringing back The Safari, bringing back the true RAC rally, doing the Monte as it should be done, having maybe one more event in Eastern Europe, etc, would maybe be more important for the future of the WRC than staging a Chinese event - if nothing special is made by this opportunity to make it a real experience/adventure.

All these events have had their first time, and for most of them there has been someone saying that they were not the right location. Luckily no one listened to them.

[tc10a]

Some News before todays WMSC Meeting:

China on provisional 2016 WRC calendar, but 14 rallies angers Teams...
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121082

[Simmi]

Some News before todays WMSC Meeting:

China on provisional 2016 WRC calendar, but 14 rallies angers Teams...
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121082

Worrying to see this to be honest.

Adding an extra round but potentially losing two teams is no one's idea of progress - especially when one of the teams they were supposedly doing this for might leave. Are the teams bluffing? In the WEC the organisation are paying the freight costs for their 2016 expansion round in Mexico. I don't know if that is an option here? What does the WRC promoter have to say?

Part of me also wonders whether China will appear on the calendar and then disappear F1-style. But at what cost? Teams still have to budget for it even if there is an asterisk next to it.

[Andre Oliveira]

Citroën wants China, China get in, Citroën gets out? Lol

Rallies every year smaller. Less rounds but more km, or more rounds less km?

[Lundefaret]

Citroën wants China, China get in, Citroën gets out? Lol

Rallies every year smaller. Less rounds but more km, or more rounds less km?

This shows so well why one shouldn't base these decisions on one manufacturer, because they are only in it until the marketing manager says stop.

A team like M-Sport is much more sustainable for the WRC, in that they have a business model where th WRC is an integral part, and they make money on it, so they are as dependent on the WRC as WRC are of them.

BTW:14 rallies is a bit crazy, when 13 already may be one or two too many. China is crazy if its not done proper.

[AndyRAC]

I think 14 is too many - I understand why, but this ain't F1.
Broken record alert: I'd prefer 10 proper iconic Events, that sell the sport and show why the WRC is a fantastic series. A even mix of surfaces, a fair split between endurance, sprint and the current WRC 'generic event'.

What is a Chinese event going to bring to the WRC? Anything different?
When manufacturers start shouting the odds - remind them who is boss. They have far too much say into the running of championships around the world. And will leave at the drop of a hat.

[litifeta]

I would like to see 14 rallies. And the championship decided by your best 10 events. Allows more global coverage and makes it easier for privateers.

[Mirek]

No, please no skipping. That has never made anything better. The only good way to make it easier for privateers is to have less events. Skipping bad results doesn't help privateers at all. It only looks like that. We have seen it in IRC/ERC. The best example was Mikkelsen's title. He was either winning or crashing and he won the title thanks to this skipping of some events. No privateer can afford to drive like mad to keep winning for the cost of crashing in nearly every second round.