WRC Wales Rally GB [Archive] - Page 4

tfp

18th September 2012, 23:35

Exactly my thoughts.

Quesnel also had to deal with the "Loeb retirement" issue. It seems to me Loeb has a habit to wait very long before re-committing, every time his contract runs out, talking about Le Mans...F1....his own team....

At the time Citroën Racing really had to find a future n°1 driver to replace Loeb, in case Loeb suddenly says bye-bye...then what? Citroën Racing detected Ogier and decided to spend a hell of a lot of money on him to give a top car in top conditions. With a lot of talent and top of the line material he got fast....almost too quickly.

It's quite ironic really if you think about how much money Citroën Racing pissed away on Ogier only so the guy could take all his knowledge and experience to VW !!!

Nail. Head. Bang.

Citroen did the same with Sordo. His performance has gotten better and better since he left Citroen, to the point where he was an ideal replacement to JML when he had the accident this season.
Only 4 factory WRC seats avaliable,when one becomes free, the team offering could probably have any driver in the world, and they chose Sordo, that says something.
So they throw out two of the best rally drivers in the world in a very short time. Well done Citroen.... :s mokin:

stefanvv

18th September 2012, 23:40

So they throw out two of the best rally drivers in the world in a very short time. Well done Citroen.... :s mokin:

:D :D :D but kept the One and the Only.... for awhile

EDIT: People will talk about this collaboration decades to come, even when the oil wells will be dry and we move with little space shuttles powered by Helium3 fuel :D

AndyRAC

19th September 2012, 08:32

Is the WRC being left to die? | Autocar (http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/motorsport/wrc-being-left-die)

MartijnS

19th September 2012, 08:40

Were you in the blue Fabia by the way? :)

AndyRAC

19th September 2012, 08:55

Yes, it's now all washed & clean...

bassist

19th September 2012, 09:42

Is the WRC being left to die? | Autocar (http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/motorsport/wrc-being-left-die)

This article sums it up in a nutshell. Such a shame because last weeks speed and comitment was a joy to behold!

AndyRAC

19th September 2012, 10:10

This article sums it up in a nutshell. Such a shame because last weeks speed and comitment was a joy to behold!

You won’t find anybody arguing with that. Everybody who went has commented about the speed & commitment – absolutely awesome!!! And that is why I still go – even though I say I’ll give it a miss.
The problem is who else saw it? Who knew about the event?

Karukera

19th September 2012, 11:31

Well done Citroen...

Agree, they swapped Sordo for Ogier in the 2010 mid season and won 10 rallies instead of the usual 7-8 Loeb wins + the manu crown.
They dropped Sordo in 2011 and pocketed both driver's and manu's titles.
They then dropped Ogier for Hirvonen and they're in a favorable position to take the 2012 drivers & manu again.
So definitely well done.

bassist

19th September 2012, 12:48

You won’t find anybody arguing with that. Everybody who went has commented about the speed & commitment – absolutely awesome!!! And that is why I still go – even though I say I’ll give it a miss.
The problem is who else saw it? Who knew about the event?

Very few knew the event was on- I think I caught a 3 second advert on TV promoting tickets. Even good old `Wales Today` didnt do much ( but they did highlight the Tour of Britain) . I marshaled twice, and there was really no one to marshal- in Walters on Sunday at the junction I was on I counted 13 Marshals and 3 spectators! But the action was `Brilliant`. Just caught the Headline in Motorsport News today, "Rally GB vows to win back fans" so I will read what they say with interest. Perhaps it`s cause the UK has had such a good summer of sport, and moving the date to September was an own goal when Olympic/ Paralympic/Murray fever is still high?

6789

19th September 2012, 13:53

That's a good point about the event being so close to the Olympics. Is GB still on an Olympics high?? Maybe a Srptember event will be more successful next year when the Olympics aren't on

AndyRAC

19th September 2012, 14:09

That's a good point about the event being so close to the Olympics. Is GB still on an Olympics high?? Maybe a Srptember event will be more successful next year when the Olympics aren't on

No!!
Some events are a success because of their dates, which add to the occasion. Would you run the Monte in June? Le Mans in March? Sweden in August?
It has to be a late Autumn/early Winter event – that’s what made it famous and a challenge. They’ve run it 3 times in September, and it’s been a flop.
This year they were up against the usual football, rugby, cricket, Goodwood Festival of Speed, the St Leger at Doncaster, and the Tour of Britain cycle race – which clashed on the Friday in Wales. None of those events will move from September, so RallyGB should get back to Nov/Dec.

Run it after the F1 season has ended – as the last major Motorsport event of the season. The event no longer attract Racing drivers, and the journalists taking part that it used to.

Allyc85

19th September 2012, 18:28

Walters Arena pics are now up. Wish that bloody boat in the lake could have stayed still...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/8003622893_edcd6dd288_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003622893/)
Sebastien Loeb Walters Arena 2 Rally GB 2012 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003622893/) by Allyc85 (http://www.flickr.com/people/allyc85/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/8003646397_9589cec356_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003646397/)
Alastair Fisher Walters Arena 2 Rally GB 2012 1jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003646397/) by Allyc85 (http://www.flickr.com/people/allyc85/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/8003617585_665382f1b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003617585/)
Martin Prokop Walters Arena 2 Rally GB 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8003617585/) by Allyc85 (http://www.flickr.com/people/allyc85/), on Flickr

wrc1600

19th September 2012, 20:12

No!!
Some events are a success because of their dates, which add to the occasion. Would you run the Monte in June? Le Mans in March? Sweden in August?
It has to be a late Autumn/early Winter event – that’s what made it famous and a challenge. They’ve run it 3 times in September, and it’s been a flop.
This year they were up against the usual football, rugby, cricket, Goodwood Festival of Speed, the St Leger at Doncaster, and the Tour of Britain cycle race – which clashed on the Friday in Wales. None of those events will move from September, so RallyGB should get back to Nov/Dec.

Run it after the F1 season has ended – as the last major Motorsport event of the season. The event no longer attract Racing drivers, and the journalists taking part that it used to.

I don't get those exuses with date. There was no advertisement, no Rally in the news on Radio or TV(BBC) even though GB hosted World Championship.The fact is that it was the worst European entry in WRC history and November event wouldn't help. On the second run of Halfway there were less people than I have seen on Sunseekers Rally stage this year. And I am talking about Dixies...Gravel is gravel, in Wales there is no huge difference between cold September and November. Over past years there was more action due to the fact Academy or JWRC was on, credit crunch that what it is. Even top teams struggling these days.

Allyc85

19th September 2012, 20:18

On the way into Cardiff there was no clue that there was a world championship event going on.
In previous years the matrix signs on the motorway have had travel info but this time there was nothing and no advertising in the city either.

Really people who have an opinion on the event need to email the organisers with some constructive crticism that they can use to restore the rally to the great event it once was.

OldF

19th September 2012, 21:12

Very few knew the event was on- I think I caught a 3 second advert on TV promoting tickets. Even good old `Wales Today` didnt do much ( but they did highlight the Tour of Britain) . I marshaled twice, and there was really no one to marshal- in Walters on Sunday at the junction I was on I counted 13 Marshals and 3 spectators! But the action was `Brilliant`. Just caught the Headline in Motorsport News today, "Rally GB vows to win back fans" so I will read what they say with interest. Perhaps it`s cause the UK has had such a good summer of sport, and moving the date to September was an own goal when Olympic/ Paralympic/Murray fever is still high?

Maybe the occasional spectator Joe Average (as I believe the most spectators are) is used to that the rally is in November (or any rally in the WRC having their own place in the calendar) and starts to search for more info at the end of October just to find out that the rally was already in September. :(

Allyc85

19th September 2012, 22:05

S2000 action on Halfway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx7VStBgTcc

denkimi

19th September 2012, 22:13

Nail. Head. Bang.

Citroen did the same with Sordo. His performance has gotten better and better since he left Citroen, to the point where he was an ideal replacement to JML when he had the accident this season.
Only 4 factory WRC seats avaliable,when one becomes free, the team offering could probably have any driver in the world, and they chose Sordo, that says something.
So they throw out two of the best rally drivers in the world in a very short time. Well done Citroen.... :s mokin:
actually, back in the days, they did the same thing with duval. they bought him away from ford, only to drop him.

they could have had 4 different champions, but they chose to sacrifise 3 of them for loeb. great for loeb, very bad for the championship.

Fly_Half

19th September 2012, 22:45

Here's my images from four fantastic days of action:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7997032067_e5f90f2660_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/7997003155_0fa495a926_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7997009822_eab75e23c9_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7989689200_c5d41fc2ec_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7997355176_f6b9ddcbfe_b.jpg

Cheers,

Rhodri

Sladden

19th September 2012, 22:59

actually, back in the days, they did the same thing with duval. they bought him away from ford, only to drop him.

they could have had 4 different champions, but they chose to sacrifise 3 of them for loeb. great for loeb, very bad for the championship.
They squeezed the last out of Colin McRae also...before moving to Citroen he was still one of the hottest prospects around.

306 Cosworth

19th September 2012, 23:07

http://youtu.be/8zSmlhl7-yc

tfp

19th September 2012, 23:34

Agree, they swapped Sordo for Ogier in the 2010 mid season and won 10 rallies instead of the usual 7-8 Loeb wins + the manu crown.
They dropped Sordo in 2011 and pocketed both driver's and manu's titles.
They then dropped Ogier for Hirvonen and they're in a favorable position to take the 2012 drivers & manu again.
So definitely well done.

You missed my point, yes they will do well now, but what happens after Loeb leaves?

We will see if Gronholms prediction is right. "Once Loeb leaves WRC so will Citroen"

rjbetty

20th September 2012, 00:37

They squeezed the last out of Colin McRae also...before moving to Citroen he was still one of the hottest prospects around.

I always wondered why they didn't sign Mcrae to partner Loeb in 2006, especially on the strength of his 2005 Skoda appearances. They chose Pons instead. :p

Plan9

20th September 2012, 02:17

Pons brought cash and was from a key market for PSA. I would have loved to have Colin back too, but you know how it is in profressional sport...

janvanvurpa

20th September 2012, 02:39

They squeezed the last out of Colin McRae also...before moving to Citroen he was still one of the hottest prospects around.

Va? va fan?

Sure as hell seemed to me that he was well past his sell-by-date and he simply demanded far far too much money--a reported GBP5,000,000 a year and was not particularly good to work with...

Karukera

20th September 2012, 13:30

You missed my point No, you missed the sarcasm.

We will see if Gronholms prediction is right. "Once Loeb leaves WRC so will Citroen" Grönholm is no authority as far as retirement time is concerned since he left the WRC too early when he owed us a couple of more years compared to Björn Waldegård wins time span of 15 years, Sainz, Kankkunen (14), Auriol, Alén, Mikkola (13), Blomqvist (11), Röhrl, Salonen, Loeb (10)... I selfishly denied him the right to retire.

Back to topic, i didn't hear Loeb retirement was a dead end for Citroën but i may be wrong. They were criticized domestically for winning easily but kept on saying to journalists and keyboards experts : no, Ford is tough bone enough for a challenge, even threatening FIA leaving the WRC with Ford.
Besides the usual financial, commercial considerations, they'll be in as long as there's a challenge, whoever leads the charge : Hirvonen, Neuville...

WRC is a thousand steps waltz, Ogier may well come back à la Ford / Solberg or attract other top drivers.

tfp

20th September 2012, 20:15

No, you missed the sarcasm.

Grönholm is no authority as far as retirement time is concerned since he left the WRC too early when he owed us a couple of more years compared to Björn Waldegård wins time span of 15 years, Sainz, Kankkunen (14), Auriol, Alén, Mikkola (13), Blomqvist (11), Röhrl, Salonen, Loeb (10)... I selfishly denied him the right to retire.

Back to topic, i didn't hear Loeb retirement was a dead end for Citroën but i may be wrong. They were criticized domestically for winning easily but kept on saying to journalists and keyboards experts : no, Ford is tough bone enough for a challenge, even threatening FIA leaving the WRC with Ford.
Besides the usual financial, commercial considerations, they'll be in as long as there's a challenge, whoever leads the charge : Hirvonen, Neuville...

WRC is a thousand steps waltz, Ogier may well come back à la Ford / Solberg or attract other top drivers.

I diddnt miss your sarcasm, I just decided to rise above it.

As for the rest of your post, lets just wait and see what happens.

stefanvv

20th September 2012, 23:43

dimviii

21st September 2012, 15:07

nice photos!
http://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/2%20Jarri-Matti%20Latvala%20-%20Mikka%20Anttila.jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/8%20Jannie%20Habig%20-%20Robbie%20Durant.jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/107%20Kris%20Meeke%20-%20James%20May.jpg

eWRC.cz - Fotogalerie Wales Rally GB 2012 Gregory Timmerman (http://www.ewrc.cz/ewrc/fotogalery.php?events=3498&fotograf=260)

dimviii

21st September 2012, 15:10

by Greg Roslon
http://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/IMG_3514.jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/IMG_2816.jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/IMG_2726.jpg

eWRC.cz - Fotogalerie Wales Rally GB 2012 Greg Roslon (http://www.ewrc.cz/ewrc/fotogalery.php?events=3498&fotograf=100)

tfp

21st September 2012, 23:01

Look at patterson screaming in that last picture! haha! :D

Mirek

22nd September 2012, 09:23

Kris with the Bentley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yrNzPInDja0

Labi

22nd September 2012, 11:38

Pictures By Viktor Farkas"Boci" facebook.com/RallyFeeling
Wales Rally 2012 | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.415142091875406.105030.249919715064312&type=3)

Allyc85

23rd September 2012, 13:00

Last video from me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMydx9N9alw

And a few pics from the nationals are up...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/8015119189_cf319c4e32_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8015119189/)
Stuart Larbey Metro 6r4 Walters Arena Rally GB National B 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8015119189/) by Allyc85 (http://www.flickr.com/people/allyc85/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8015110057_e1df9500c4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8015110057/)
Steve Perez Lancia Stratos Walters Arena Rally GB National B (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/8015110057/) by Allyc85 (http://www.flickr.com/people/allyc85/), on Flickr

dimviii

23rd September 2012, 15:26

nice spots!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtt5ji_rallye-de-grande-bretagne-2012-by-rs-wrc_sport?start=148

dimviii

28th September 2012, 13:37

Bit late but some awesome photos
http://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/uk%20(5).jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/uk%20(34).jpghttp://www.ewrc.cz/images/2012/wrc/gb/uk%20(27).jpg

eWRC.cz - Fotogalerie Wales Rally GB 2012 Marcin Rybak (http://www.ewrc.cz/ewrc/fotogalery.php?events=3498&fotograf=105)

Allyc85

20th December 2012, 20:30

We all had loads to say about Rally GB, and now they have released a survery...

MatchDaySurveys (http://www.matchdaysurveys.com/index.php?survey_code=463d97ad&login=1)

I guess its a start and hopefully they will learn from all the feedback!

Mintexmemory

21st December 2012, 09:42

AndyRAC

21st December 2012, 09:52

Mintexmemory

21st December 2012, 10:04

Filled it in, but I thought the questions were loaded. If they were really interested then I would have expected a thorough survey – it was almost as if they have already decided what they want. Or am I being cynical?
No you're right they had already decided. Which is why I commented that I wanted to see Rally GB in another part of the UK ;)

AndyRAC

21st December 2012, 10:38

No you're right they had already decided. Which is why I commented that I wanted to see Rally GB in another part of the UK ;)

Well they asked how many times had you attended RallyGB since 2002? So anything before doesn’t count then? When it was a massive event? Hmm,....

When you have the start of Le Tour in Yorkshire – but finishing Stage3 in London – the question has to be asked. Surely they have to think about including London in any future plans for the event, even if it is just a Rally fest event.

MJW

21st December 2012, 10:59

I wonder if DR filled the questionnaire and gave a suggestion that the whole rally should be based on London's Olympic Park stadium and car parks? The venue ticks all the right boxes, near a large population with disposable income, plenty of large hotels, restaurants and a service park large enough for the hospitality and merchandising. Then you factor in the live tv feed and large screens. Job done, 2014 anyone?

makinen_fan

21st December 2012, 10:59

I expected for some more meaningful questions. I don't think they will pay any attention anyway... It seems the only thing they care about is hospitality and facilities at stages, things meaningless to us Rally fans

DoubleD

21st December 2012, 11:23

First post on here, but been reading with interest for a long time..
I answered the survey as they need to know that what they are serving up is a load of rubbish.
Since the Sainz/spectator incident in whatever year it was in the early 2000's, the spectating experience has declined massively for me. But the cause of that incident goes back to before then when they reduced the amount of stages used, therefore concentrating all the spectators into less locations, and causing overcrowding. Coupled with that time being the height of the McRae/Burns era, it was always going to be a problem. We all know what they have done to 'control' spectating since, and its all but destroyed the event.
Back in the 80's/90's they had in the spectator guide a star rating for each stage, that was a stealth way of directing the less experienced spectators to the stages they wanted, and where there was more parking and viewing, and by and large it worked. Those of us that we're in the know, knew that a 2 star stage was unlikely to be overrun by spectators, and to avoid a 5 star stage, certainly the main car parks..as back then we had the OS stage book to help find a nice back way in and bung the farmer a tenner to open a gate, or how far down the stage we had to walk to find a great spectating point.
They seem to have lost sight of 'who' watches rallies, and are hell bent on enticing people from other demographics at the expense of the core support. If they create the right show, the new people will come of their own accord, and then they can direct those people in the ways of rallying, rather than change rallying to bring them in and alienate the core support.
I don't profess to have all the answers, and I'm sure there are far more restrictions in many areas now than there was 15/20 years ago with regards to policing, and road blockages etc, but I am sure something better can be offered than what we have now..