Does The WRC Need China?

[omer yetis]

is China interested? Will there be plenty of media & spectators when they go?

They are very much interested in having WRC here in China.
and yes, there will be a huge number of local Media before/during and after the rally. Talking about spectators, thats another entertainment for the local people. They are very much interested in seeing and experiencing new events in their cities or towns. but the question is how much they understand about rallying or have courage to learn about it...
and how many percent of these spectators can afford to buy a car in manufacturers aspect. I am very sure that even a small percentage makes big difference for manufacturers in a country like China due to the huge population and car sales. every brand wants to have more share in the market.

on the other hand, rallying is new in this country compared to other legendary rallying countries like Finland, GB and so on... but I can say they are fast forward as they have a lot of money and government support.
their national championship is running at least 70-80 cars each event and this is the limited numbers... they have tons of local car producers that are also paying more attention to rallying every year.
this is to say that Automobile industry is one of the biggest in the World and they are having acknowledge how important rallying is for their branding.

I am fully supporting to have WRC in China for a step of improvement in WRC as car manufacturers are going to have a big media support here, hoping will also increase their car sales. ends up hopefully bigger funds can go back to WRC...

but my biggest concern is the safety during the rally. how prepared is the FASC? (Chinese motorsports federation) or how educated their staff is for an event on World scale
I am pretty sure they will do their best but can they control spectators or people's behave?

hope the best for rallying and WRC in China...

[Munkvy]

See you there.

I am looking at attending now too. Does anyone know much about exactly where it will be held? Is it actually gonna be in Huairou?

[GigiGalliNo1]

I am going. DM me.
Best for people to fly direct to Beijing or if it's cheaper to HK, then a ferry to main land China then catch a local flight to Beijing but I don't trust local Chinese airlines..... At Beijing airport, you can get a permit to drive a rental car in China. Otherwise foreigners cannot drive in China, but the rules might changes closer to the rally dates...

[janvanvurpa]

I am going. DM me.
Best for people to fly direct to Beijing or if it's cheaper to HK, then a ferry to main land China then catch a local flight to Beijing but I don't trust local Chinese airlines..... At Beijing airport, you can get a permit to drive a rental car in China. Otherwise foreigners cannot drive in China, but the rules might changes closer to the rally dates...

Are you sure about the car rental thing?

And are you sure you want to risk taking many years off your life by driving in Beijing?

I have driven in London, and i have driven in Paris...And I take taxis in China.
Even though my family there says I am a very good Buddhist, I do not want to leave this life and begin again another life. Not Yet...

[Grundo Farb]

I am going. DM me.
Best for people to fly direct to Beijing or if it's cheaper to HK, then a ferry to main land China then catch a local flight to Beijing but I don't trust local Chinese airlines..... At Beijing airport, you can get a permit to drive a rental car in China. Otherwise foreigners cannot drive in China, but the rules might changes closer to the rally dates...

Flying in china is fine. If you fly from Hong Kong to Beijing there is no problem. Probably safer than in some parts of Europe. Don't forget the trains. Shanghai to Beijing on a very fast train...

[GigiGalliNo1]

Are you sure about the car rental thing?

And are you sure you want to risk taking many years off your life by driving in Beijing?

I have driven in London, and i have driven in Paris...And I take taxis in China.
Even though my family there says I am a very good Buddhist, I do not want to leave this life and begin again another life. Not Yet...

Do you expect to drive from stage to stage in a taxi? In Rural China during the rally?

[Livewireshock]

From what I could gather from the Service Park Manager at the APRC event in Longyou, the rally will be based around Yanqi Lake, Huairou. This was the site for the 2014 APEC meeting, so there is a new exhibition hall there and super expensive boutique hotels all managed by the 5 star egg shaped East Sunrise Kempinski Hotel. These are located to the north of the Huairou city area.

The stages themselves will still being looked at. The current stages are located 80km north of this lake, connected by a divided highway that passes the Great Wall. Potential stages are being looked at across the north of Huairou and Miyun County.

Here are some pictures of the hotels and lake area as used during APEC.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=a...IVI1GmCh19EwB2

[Livewireshock]

Do you expect to drive from stage to stage in a taxi? In Rural China during the rally?

It is possible to hire a taxi for the whole day, which is what I am guessing that he means. However, you must do this in Beijing or Huairou, because there will be no taxis in the stage area unless they are hired by other people. The hassles in negotiating fees, timings and navigation can be a horrible chore too for people without Chinese language skills. Many drivers in central Beijing would flat out refuse to drive into many rural areas, unless it was a well known tourist spot.

As for getting the temporary drivers licence in China, this is the easiest guide I could find.
http://motorhome-china.com/report_dl.html
While it is possible to get such a licence in other places in China, it can be very mixed, from being refused or only allowing for a full licence. Thus I would recommend obtaining your licence in Beijing Airport Terminal 3. Thankfully it is landside, so you do not need to arrive in Beijing by air to access the Traffic Police office. Expect to pay at least 2,000RMB upwards for a small car for a week, but the cash deposit could also easily double that figure or more pending on the rental company.

As for the roads and conditions, here is a photo I took last year on my way from SS1 to the Baoshan area. Three trees in the middle of the intersection, but at least there are traffic lights, even if obscured by the branches.
K_5_8564.JPG

[janvanvurpa]

Do you expect to drive from stage to stage in a taxi? In Rural China during the rally?

Me? Not going... Next time we go back will be maybe December next year. Yesterday it was 30*C back there so we think we'll go when its not so toasty.

And as for driving in rural China, I'd have no worries except the big one: getting totally lost.
And then asking directions..Not language issues but most people are not used to giving ROAD directions.. It really is often hilarious.....Maps are rare and often lack huge amounts of detail and of course 99% are 100% in Putonghua. Pretty rough if you don't read really well.

The moving around of possible speccies is something the organisers can probably arrange; the Chinese are very good at moving groups around.

[GigiGalliNo1]

When you get a Media Guide with maps, your sorted

More than happy to help you guys when you're lost