Bad for F1. Good for the WRC?

[Daniel]

Is F1's spygate going to be a good thing for the WRC? Sponsors and manufacturers are very careful about what people think of their name and what it's associated with. Of course McLaren look bad in light of what's come out but because of the half hearted way the FIA has either allowed cheating to be rewarded or has punished McLaren because it can the whole of F1 looks bad. Could we possibly see sponsors and manufacturers walk away from Formula 1 and come to the WRC looking for some "clean" publicity and promotion? Whatever comes out today in regards to what happened it will look bad for Formula 1 and that can only be good for the WRC as any "cheating" in the WRC has usually been a flywheel a little bit too light or some windows being too thin. Hardly stuff that damages the sport to it's core like "spygate" has damaged F1.

I honestly feel that the WRC is an explosion waiting to happen. You've got Suzuki coming in, we've got a reduction in the number of rounds, we've got some very skilled drivers and at the end of the day rallying is a very exciting sport for the average person to watch and I think if we were to have a driver like Colin come back and do well in the Suzuki (purely a thought that someone suggested last night) then the WRC will suddenly become a much more exciting sport to watch and we'll have yet another golden age :)

Well I hope so!

P.S We should get that Paasonen guy back. Seeing him crash all the time was fun :)

[Leon]

You hope so, I wish so!

[Donney]

I sadly think this is bad for motorsport in general. I really wish it is good for rallying but I don't know what to think.

[AndyRAC]

Daniel, I really admire your optimism, and I wish you were right. BUT, honestly, I can't see it happening, the points you raise are all relevant and make sense, however what are these multi national blue chip companies going to get out of it. At the moment nearly every 2 weeks 18 times a year, there is guaranteed coverage worldwide, on Saturdays and Sundays for 1.5-2 hours. Compare with WRC, hmm, not really comparable.
And don't even think about dumbing it down even more, it's bad as it is.

[Daniel]

Donney. The WRC has always been fairly "clean" Toyota cheated and got a 2 year ban and any other cheating was usually dealt with severely. So while it's bad for motorsport it's not entirely bad for the WRC.

Andy :) Just a few years ago the WRC was going along gangbusters. It would be silly to ignore the crap coverage but I think the crap coverage followed a bit of a downturn in the popularity of the WRC in the UK due to the lack of McRae's and Burns'. It's not inconceivable that an injection of sponsor money into the WRC and the arrival of another team or 2 would be the catalyst for a turnaround now that the WRC's traditional rival is bogged down in controversy. A big part of me wants this whole thing to end cleanly for F1 but a small selfish part of me wants it to tear F1 apart and set it back 10 years as this could benefit the WRC :angel:

[AndyRAC]

The F1A wouldn't allow F1 to tear itself apart, and for the WRC to be more successful. Look at the Toyota saga, threw team AND drivers out, not caring for the end of the Championship, yet McLaren get thrown out but drivers don't. The F1A favour F1 and Ferrari. The WRC is like an annoying kid to them.

[J4MIE]

Rallying is not "clean" :cheese:

:p :

[Daniel]

The F1A wouldn't allow F1 to tear itself apart, and for the WRC to be more successful. Look at the Toyota saga, threw team AND drivers out, not caring for the end of the Championship, yet McLaren get thrown out but drivers don't. The F1A favour F1 and Ferrari. The WRC is like an annoying kid to them.
But the FIA only have a certain amount of control. If people think F1 is dirty sponsors won't invest in F1. I'm certain there are sponsors on that McLaren who won't be there next year....

[Daniel]

Rallying is not "clean" :cheese:

:p :
It's the right kind of dirty though ;)

[A.F.F.]

Rallying is not "clean" :cheese:

:p :

I agree. If rallying is clean, it isn't done right :D

[Daniel]

I agree. If rallying is clean, it isn't done right :D
Where's that picture of J4mie covered in dust? :D

Proof that you're wrong :p rallying is dirty when done properly.

[J4MIE]

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v112/125/80/529115611/n529115611_1085832_8524.jpg

:cool:

[Ranger]

I read the thread title and thought you were talking about Toyota's prescence. Ho ho ho. :p :

Personally I don't see how F1 affects the WRC, at least not with this matter.

[Daniel]

Well like I said lots of companies don't want to be involved in a "dirty" sport whether it be as a company or a sponsor. Some of that money could go to football or advertising on billboards but it could also go into the WRC. Back in the late 90's and the earlier part of this decade the WRC was strong and had lots of interest. But then F1 strengthened and became a bit more exciting which I'm sure had an effect on the WRC even if just in some small way.

[sal]

If the WRC starts to encroach on F1's popularity again BE will lean on his mate MM as "allegedly" happened before and the status quo will be restored..

[cut the b.s.]

Keep dreaming Daniel,(your optimism makes you sound like a brand new rally fan ;-) ) $100million fine for what they MIGHT have learnt and benefitted by isnt a soft punishment, F1 is not the Tour de France, F1 is enjoying its best season in years, (sponsors are enjoying this too, dont expect your local Vodafone store to burn its Alonso or Hamilton cutouts any time soon) and by next season all this will be forgotten.

[Daniel]

Well I said we needed Colin back. Sadly he's now gone. Such a big blow to the WRC

[Koz]

Problem with rally is:

A person cant sit down for three hours and follow it live.
The best that there is, is 30 minuites highlights. If we are lucky we get 1 hour highlights once.
Or actully if we are really lucky eye in the sky for some time. And we need more of that. But still, no TV channel will dedicate 10 hours for three days just for one show, which we must all accept is alittle difficult to understand at first.

F1, DTM, Nascar are all very easy to follow. You see who is winning. There is no complex stuff like super-rally or some other strange funny things. People cant understand it. If they cant understand it they loose interest before they have time to get interested.

WRC cant compete with F1 and that is the reality.
Just because McLaren has problems does not mean anything to the WRC. Its just more publicity unless McLaren were banned or somthing, then there would be serious problems.

[clayne]

Not that the US has any large factor in rally, but consider that when it was again building good steam and interest in the late 90s - it was also still being covered by Speedvision (soon to become SpeedTV) in the states. Then upon dropping of coverage, we see a wane in interest.