WRC main class in 2025

[rallyfiend]

It can be the greatest motorsport in the world.

No one knows because no one is watching it...

I would never deny the problems with WRC, but I think SRO is not the best comparison.

[Mirek]

I would never deny the problems with WRC, but I think SRO is not the best comparison.

Sorry for my ignorance but what is SRO?

[HKSjbg]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is SRO?

Stephane Ratel Organisation

[typhoon]

It can be the greatest motorsport in the world.

No one knows because no one is watching it...

I would never deny the problems with WRC, but I think SRO is not the best comparison.

Numbers never lie, for 100% accurate results I can take from my email the press releases sent by Italian broadcaster Sky Sport after each WRC and GTWC events with tv figures, but the season was humiliating for WRC. You'd say that Valentino Rossi was competing etc etc. But you know what?

SRO made a clear strategy: in key markets/languages, they hired their own commentary crew (which are basically the same guys commenting for SRO on YouTube) and offered the "ready to broadcast" package to the networks. With everything else around: eye-catching graphics, chit chat, telemetry, spectacular camera angles, etc.

Result: Sky bought the rights (about 200.000 euros for the whole season, compared to almost 350.000 requested by WRC Promoter) and showed them, without paying anyone to comment it from their HQ in Milan, while for WRC they needed a commentary crew to comment it (one of them "borrowed" from football matches, so...). Audience? The peak season was about 70k for the Sardinian Power Stage. GTWC on the very same Sky Sport Arena channel (40-50k daily average audience) reached almost 120k audience for the Misano event, with around 100k on each event, even after Rossi retired.

Long story short....
.....Being greedy for TV rights (expensively paid) without investing anything back, well, can't bring much more than what we have right now. WRC Promoter needs to step up, now or never before it will be too late. And with this situation, you can bring 800HP monster cars with F1 aero, with basically whatever you want on... and nobody would care either way.

P.S.: younger fan base is going to follow F1 after Liberty Media's strategy. Not gonna say WRC needs its own "drive to survive", but try being fun and catchy at least. WRC fanbase built during the gold era is now "aging". Time to come up with something fresh.

[WRCStan]

Typhoon, I would shift the greed to the FIA, they own the championship knocking costs on to promoter, which I understand they voluntarily walked into. GTWC is owned and promoted by the same SRO, there is an added value in that.

[typhoon]

Typhoon, I would shift the greed to the FIA, they own the championship knocking costs on to promoter, which I understand they voluntarily walked into. GTWC is owned and promoted by the same SRO, there is an added value in that.

I wouldn't, because that would barely mean that my company is not doing profits because the Country in which I'm legally based is throwing me taxes to pay. Those are part of the operative costs and I need to make the whole thing profitable. WRC Promoter is not doing so, what are we talking about? lol

[WRCStan]

I wouldn't, because that would barely mean that my company is not doing profits because the Country in which I'm legally based is throwing me taxes to pay. Those are part of the operative costs and I need to make the whole thing profitable. WRC Promoter is not doing so, what are we talking about? lol

Then SRO is its own taxman in direct comparison. Vertical integration.

But yeah, off-topic.