Dirtfish

[AnttiL]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/refle...h-wrc-victory/

Guanajuato Rally of Nations is doing promotion through Dirtfish, it's even mentioned on the article credits. Is this the first time Dirtfish mentions commercial partnership?

[Tom K]

I think DirtFish was partner of Estonian rally which was about to take place in 2020 before they decided to do WRC round

[ouvreur]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/the-t...irector-faces/

Spoiler: the 'tough job' that new FIA Rally Director Andrew Wheatley faces isn't 'being more Adamo'

[Gregor-y]

Dirtfish has injected a lot of energy (maybe also cash?) into the ARA rally series in the US. The publicity has drawn a lot more spectators and competitors, though that may be because so many events were cancelled since 2020. As most events are in remote locations the only reliable communications system is a 2M radio network. Secondhand Tag timing equipment died out over ten years ago and was replaced with a variety of home built clocks and stopwatches synchronized before the event. Starting last year we've gotten RallySafe which uses satellite tracking in the cars and devices for the stage crew. I'm still dubious about the accuracy but so far it matches what trained finish line crew does with a calibrated stopwatch. Battery life of the tablets running RallySafe are the only concern as the antennas they need draw a lot power.

It's also been very useful for emergencies. Here's an example from a few weeks ago. The stage crew was able to hold all remaining cars at the start of a ten mile stage and dispatch an ambulance from there at least five minutes before the older radio network would have gone into action. I don't know if Dirtfish is spending more for other national series, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5m0Vu9ofdw
Both crew members were taken to hospital and released.

[Sulland]

I have subscribed to Autosport, Motorsport News, Racecar Engineering and a few others, both on paper and then online.

Autosport that is the Bible, but the rallypart got smaller and smaller, and then their rally boss quit. He is now in Dirtfish.
It is important that we habe someone that dear to write about issues manufacturers, and FIA does not want to raise. Some of the challenge is that the rally family is small, and everybody know eachother. It is always harder to write a critical article, and then interview them next weekend on another matter.

Dirtfish have shortcomings, but still they are among the best. And they will improve!

[AndyRAC]

I have subscribed to Autosport, Motorsport News, Racecar Engineering and a few others, both on paper and then online.

Autosport that is the Bible, but the rallypart got smaller and smaller, and then their rally boss quit. He is now in Dirtfish.
It is important that we habe someone that dear to write about issues manufacturers, and FIA does not want to raise. Some of the challenge is that the rally family is small, and everybody know eachother. It is always harder to write a critical article, and then interview them next weekend on another matter.

Dirtfish have shortcomings, but still they are among the best. And they will improve!

Autosport really has fallen from grace; I subscribed from about 1991, until about 2001/2. It used to be a fabulous magazine, and covered a variety of motorsport. And their rally coverage has also fallen; I suspect they'd argue it's in line with how rallying has fallen. And The Race took a lot of their journalists, but doesn't even bother with rallying which really did make me realise the sport isn't doing as well as we'd like.

As you say, Dirtfish is the only English language place/website for the sport. It's not great, is it? One hopes it does improve.

[ouvreur]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/new-zeala...ive-statement/

"It’s Monday. The Monday rally fans from across New Zealand and – in any other year – from around the world fear most. The Monday after the ENEOS Otago International Classic Rally."

I know it was a slow news weekend, and they were 'in partnership' with Rally Otago, but... seriously?

The Monday rally fans around the world fear most?

Does David Evans actually get paid for writing this stuff? That's without even mentioning the "most world's most famous Mk2"...

[AndyRAC]

The issue is there are far too many 'slow news weekends' in our sport; it's nearly mid April and we've only had 2 WRC rounds, and it started before every other major series. Once F1 & MotoGP start their seasons, the interest often drops off, and only the WRC diehards are interested.

As for Evans, he builds things up to be far bigger than they actually are......He should be nicknamed 'Hyperbole'.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

They gave a lot of coverage to Rally Mexico but most people here wouldnt give it the time of day because of the 'Nations' aspect.

Seems Otago is the same.

Unless it's in the WRC, other 'far away' rallies seem to be treated as second-class by many.

[AnttiL]

Yes, Otago and Mexico/Nations were two heavily sponsored events in Dirtfish, the first time it was mentioned in the articles that it's a paid partnership, although you could speculate if such partnerships have happened in the past as well.

If David Evans can "overwrite", Colin Clark has a tendency to "overtalk" rallies based on other than competitive values (like Coffs Harbour Australia and Lebanon)