[WRC] Rally Finland 2023

[TypeR]

Taka: ,,Kalle has tough me with condirions like this''
Interviewer: ,,What has Kalle's advice been?''
Taka: ,,Just angle and flat-out!''

[RS]

Taka: ,,Kalle has tough me with condirions like this''
Interviewer: ,,What has Kalle's advice been?''
Taka: ,,Just angle and flat-out!''

This sums up the Rally1 style in general, at least on loose surfaces.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

WRC was kind of unlucky to lose VW (dieselgate), and then also Citroen (C3 failed Ogier). Imagine if they had both stayed.

[jonkka]

WRC was kind of unlucky to lose VW (dieselgate), and then also Citroen (C3 failed Ogier). Imagine if they had both stayed.

If you start on that road, you can add to that list likes of Peugeot, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mini, Suzuki, Seat, Skoda and few more if you go further back in time.

[RS]

Nobody talking about the actual rally? At least the fight in Rally2 has been quite good although a lot of accidents, problems and punctures there too.

[skarderud]

Nobody talking about the actual rally? At least the fight in Rally2 has been quite good although a lot of accidents, problems and punctures there too.

Yes, rally2 class is much more interesting, sadly enough.
Its sad to say, i don't care about the Rally1's anymore, i'm fed up. I really don't care if Hyundai, Toyota and M-sport just pull the plug.
I'm not the only one, obviously.

Sent fra min SM-S901B via Tapatalk

[Fast Eddie WRC]

If you start on that road, you can add to that list likes of Peugeot, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mini, Suzuki, Seat, Skoda and few more if you go further back in time.

But the VW & Citroen withdrawals weren't purely due to high WRC costs.

[jonkka]

But the VW & Citroen withdrawals weren't purely due to high WRC costs.

Neither were those that I quoted - most left as their results didn't match their expectations or past performance. Cost is not an issue if you're successful. Besides, WRC budgets are a drop in ocean for big manus.

[Norm75]

Neither were those that I quoted - most left as their results didn't match their expectations or past performance. Cost is not an issue if you're successful. Besides, WRC budgets are a drop in ocean for big manus.

BMW pulled the plug on the prodrive mini wrc program down to money.
Subaru pulled the plug on the WRC when there was a recession and down to money. Mitsubishi never really developed their car to WRC spec and was just a glorified grp A car so that was down to competitiveness but what did they expect.
PSA ran Peugeot and Citroen so pointless competing against themselves, so one team made way for the other. As is the case with Seat and Skoda, different brands under same owners so pointless running two teams, Seat giving way to Skoda for a while but then stopped in top category to concentrate on lower category and domination (while another brand under the same ownership developed a WRC car that went on to dominate)

[seb_sh]

BMW pulled the plug on the prodrive mini wrc program down to money.
Subaru pulled the plug on the WRC when there was a recession and down to money. Mitsubishi never really developed their car to WRC spec and was just a glorified grp A car so that was down to competitiveness but what did they expect.
PSA ran Peugeot and Citroen so pointless competing against themselves, so one team made way for the other. As is the case with Seat and Skoda, different brands under same owners so pointless running two teams, Seat giving way to Skoda for a while but then stopped in top category to concentrate on lower category and domination (while another brand under the same ownership developed a WRC car that went on to dominate)

Indeed it is also my impression that the "they were not winning so they pulled out" was the WRC being in denial and blaming the manufacturers for leaving instead of looking at themselves and where they went wrong. Subaru and Suzuki somewhat concided with the global financial crysis and both companies were in deep trouble at the time so spending even a few milion on something 'frivolous' like the WRC must have been frowned upon in the board room.

Besides that I think a critical point was when the WRC Promoter, then headed by David Richards, insisted to hold 16 rallies instead of 14. The motivation was purely financial to get more TV revenue if i remember correctly. Then I remember all the teams moaning about costs and to counter balance that the rules changed from 3 nominated cars to 2. A side effect to this was losing McRae from full time driving. Of course things are more complex but for me that's the first time the WRC shot itself in the foot quite badly. This is all from memory so I am happy to be corrected if someone knows better, but this blaming of manufacturers "pulling out because they can't win" seems like a cheap excuse from people who didn't do a good enough job organising the championship.