Distance of competitive stages

[ShiftingGears]

For the sake of some brain exercise, can you come up with any reasons why?

To make it more like a sprint and friendlier to the casual rally fan??
Enlighten me

They were just using the EU rules to cut the amount of mileage.

What are these EU rules, specifically?

[jonkka]

To make it more like a sprint and friendlier to the casual rally fan??
Enlighten me

Note that I did not say I'd have the answers. I just asked if you could find any reasons as to why the competitive distance has been cut down (in fact continuously since 1986).

[Livewireshock]

Not that I am a total fan of the sprint format but I can guess why it has been favoured in recent years.

• Allows for a single service park more easily with out long transports.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Refuel points can be more centralised.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Medical & other safety vehicles can be centrally held amongst a group of stages, this is after FIV or Officials have called for assistance.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Easier access for media crews covering the event.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Able to control spectators on a known set route. Not spread out for proverbial miles & miles.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Spectators & media can move more easily from stage to stage. Spectators develop a sense of seeing a majority of an event.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Means that less volunteers are needed to staff each stage
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Access to lengthy stages. Governments do not want to inconvenience too many people.
  [/*:m:4yrh5ntn]
• Double stage length & quadruple the amount of possible risks. Insurance companies believe it can be too much.[/*:m:4yrh5ntn]

.

Personally, I would like to see a varied championship with marathon events like the old East Coast Safari coupled with sprint format of now. It adds an extra development & interest, to see how long a car can endure an event.

[BDunnell]

I have never heard of this EU ruling. As far as my memory goes, rally distances started to be cut towards the end of 1986 after the Group B accidents that year. The RAC, for instance, did away with its proper night stages. Obviously, since then there have been further cuts, which I would say have more to do with the desire to make the WRC more TV-friendly.

Livewireshock is right — there should be a balance between different types of event, in all sorts of ways.

[jonkka]

• Allows for a single service park more easily with out long transports.[/*:m:9mpsniat]
• etc[/*:m:9mpsniat]

.

Excellent list, Live! As you see, there are pros and cons in each decision. What started as a safety measure in 1986 has now continued on grounds of media friendliness and cost cuts. Repeated stages do cut down the time needed for recce but at the same time it was a death blow to San Remo where spectator congestation was bad even before and became impossible with stage repeats. Clover leaf format and centralized servicing has cut down the men and material needed to service the team's cars but I think that much of those savings have been put into grander VIP and PR facilities, WRC service area is more like F1 paddock these days.

Shorter route, which is the meat of this thread, has perhaps gone a bit too far or at least in my opinion there should not be any further cuts in competitive distance. Going back to four-day events is not an option, Friday is a bit problematic as it stands (being weekday and all).

[BDunnell]

Shorter route, which is the meat of this thread, has perhaps gone a bit too far or at least in my opinion there should not be any further cuts in competitive distance. Going back to four-day events is not an option, Friday is a bit problematic as it stands (being weekday and all).

This comes back to what I said about a mixture of events being a good option. You could have some run over four days (the optimum length, in my opinion) mixed with the odd event as short as 24 hours, but running day and night, as the Ulster Rally used to do.

[Langdale Forest]

Will the Safari rally ever be used in the WRC again?
Some of the stages there were very long.

[A.F.F.]

Will the Safari rally ever be used in the WRC again?
Some of the stages there were very long.

I managed to download Rally review from 1985 and while I watched it, I asked the very same question. Safari was an adventure back then.

[Langdale Forest]

What is the length of the longest Safari stage?

[leno]

i'm too young to watch rally Safari but i think i would loved it when i read these comments! where can i download any safari rally video??