[WRC] News & rumours (part II)

So you'd be happy with 2 day rally's with only 6 actual stages?

This is another member of a manufacturer trying to fit rally's to fit on TV. The last 15 years have proved that however you air rally highlights nobody except rally fans want to watch them, and they are not a big draw. The previous 25 years of the WRC proved that having unique rally's over long routes draws in a much larger 'live' audience than can ever be captured on TV with some rubbish highlights show showing Jari-Matti Latvala's face and feet. The IRC also showed that stages can be shown on TV live. The longer your rally is the more days live coverage you have.

Am I the only person who looks at rally's this way, or is everyone else happy with the current situation?!

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Originally Posted by trickydicky

So you'd be happy with 2 day rally's with only 6 actual stages?

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No you completely misunderstood. I meant that it would be very possible to include more stages on 1 day. Not the usual 6 a day format, but maybe 10 or something. The total competitive distance of the event wouldn't change.

As You pointed in Ypres it's normal to run around 200 km in one day so why not.

Slowson will drive Sasol Rally with a Fiesta S2000 navigated by Chris Patterson.

DS3 R5 !
[GALLERY PHOTOS]
Citroën présente la DS3 R5 !!!

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/270...esentation.jpg

This car is absolute beauty!

Is it just me or is the back of the car slightly longer than the WRC version? Anyway I think it looks better this way.

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Originally Posted by EightGear

Is it just me or is the back of the car slightly longer than the WRC version? Anyway I think it looks better this way.

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Rear fender design is totally different (read: better looking) ;)

To be honest, I support the three day format more than a two day one. And I'm not even considering the amount of competitive distance covered but purely from a spectator point of view, the amount of action/emotion for the cost. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think quite a few mentioned that they aren't planning to go to Greece because of the two day format and expensive travel.

A few two day rallies in the calendar are ok, but the entire season ... hell no. In my opinion rallies should get harder the more you move up the levels (from local, to national, etc).

Also the change is suggested based on TV. Here's a reality check: Does WRC have anything to sell the masses? Are there two huge rivals going head to head each round and the championship is a tight fight? Are there Characters? Is there something very unique? Most of these questions would get more or less negative answer, meaning the potential audience size is already pretty small. So is it aired Sunday or Monday evening, there's not much difference.

It's not the TV they should be worried about at the moment, they should concentrate on the web - first create a buzz and then use other platforms to re-enforce the spiked interested in rallying.

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Originally Posted by Franky

Also the change is suggested based on TV. Here's a reality check: Does WRC have anything to sell the masses? Are there two huge rivals going head to head each round and the championship is a tight fight? Are there Characters? Is there something very unique? Most of these questions would get more or less negative answer, meaning the potential audience size is already pretty small. So is it aired Sunday or Monday evening, there's not much difference.

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You must remember it is a sport, and not a soap opera. Yes it is important to have characters etc. because it makes the sport easier to follow. Rallying is a very unique sport, the reason any particular country would want to hold a rally is the potential boost in tourism (although this concept is based on the fact that people pay attention to the sport). Unlike any other sport you actually see the country that is hosting the event. Not just the stadium where the event is being played. Most sports, the location has no effect on the sport itself, a football match for example doesn't change if it is one country or the other, even a grand prix (particularly now with Tilke's generic copy and past circuit design) the location has no bearing on the sport itself. But rallying does. Where the rally actually is a critical factor to the sport. The only sport I could liken it to is cycling. Rallying could learn a lot in terms of media coverage from cycling. How often during the Tour is camera looking at some part of the landscape or some ancient church. It always is, probably because nothing exciting is happening in the race in that particular point, but still that doesn't stop millions of people watching it. So no the WRC doesn't haven't anything to sell to the masses, because the WRC isn't trying to sell anything. The WRC is the market, the rallies are the fruit and vege. The rallies are trying to sell their countries. Sure there are some rallies which are more for the sake of the sport, like Monte Carlo and Finland, but you need those for the sport. It gives it prestige and history, something any sport needs. It would be like tennis with wimbledon otherwise.

Rallying is one the most unique sports on the planet, it just hasn't been shown in that way. (Although Loeb didn't help by making everything look same same every week, a true testament to how incredible he was. Or how rubbish the rest of the competition were.)

If it is on TV people are more likely to stumble upon it and say hey look at this. There not going stumble there way onto WRC.com are they. You need good internet coverage to back up TV coverage, so that once the product has been seen on TV, then go and look it up on the internet.

At the moment the WRC is only (just) catering for existing fans of the sport. The WRC at the moment is like an old rock band just replaying it's greatest hits, good for the fans (arguable for the WRC though), but not good for exposure. The WRC needs to get back in studio and write a new album.