They need to try something...
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They need to try something...
You can't say this idea will work or not if you don't define the target audience. In marketing classes one of the first things they teach you is to explore in what fase of audience your product is. Based on that you define your strategy, pricing, marketing, costcutting or not etc. To put it in a simplified manner these are the phases as they can be applied on rally:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
1. Early adaptors <-- the most dedicated people discover your product. They are driven about it and likely to infect others with enthusiasm. In rally this was the audience until lets say the Audi Quattro arrived in 1981. Until that time the people who followed the rallysport were mostly technical people who could build their own WRC car in principle. And also adventurers who enjoyed the travels and the stories. It took a real effort to follow rally then. The audience is small in this phase, but at the same time they are dedicated and eager to mouth to mouth advertising.
2. Mass audience starts to take notice. From 1982 interest in the rallysport really exploded. It was still technically interesting, it was still an adventure, but at the same time more and more people took more than a passing interest in rallies. With ups and downs this phase lasted until the Dave Richards era. The audience grows but it still takes an effort to follow the sport.
3. Highpoint. Most of the people that ever followed the sport is now, so you make it as easy as possible for everyone to follow you. That takes a lot of effort, but because so many people are reached you make up for it in volume. The DR-era saw small accesible rallies that killed the adventure. But at the same time it had the bigest media reach, everyone could follow the rally from their couch, especially people that don't like adventures. And that was a lot of people.
4. Downhill. This where we are now, the road towards the end. Here marketing studies say you need to cut costs and raise prices. Try to shake out as much money as you can and forget everything else. People complain that the WRC promotor does so little promotion and that they keep raising prices. Well that is because they realize this ship is sinking...
So for you to say "ecological racing will not work" is to simple. It won't work for the current audience no, but the current audience are the people in phase 4 on the downhill. We are the idiots that still live in phase 1 or 2 and can't let it go. The rallysport needs a reset, it needs to attract new people. It needs to attract people that are interested, dedicated and very social about it. In short, it needs to go to phase 1 again. That won't happen by doing the same thing again and again. 1.6 Turbo or 2.0 turbo, S2000 or R4 or R5 or whatever, nobody cares. Doing the Safari rally and the only limitation is that you can use max 100 litres of fuel, now that could be interesting. Eco cars are stupid now but give it three years of development and they are pretty cool...
Okay a lot of blabber again from me, sorry I should stop posting late at night :o
Does anyone has news about Benito Guerra ?
Lousada: I can agree partially but with all. I do agree that as a marketing tool rallying was working best with audience which virtually disappeared when people started to take cars only as common goods. Anyway I'm still skeptical about the hybrid etc. concepts. It could work in my opinion only if we do a total restart in terms of absolutely free competition - that means to allow completely different ideas to fight together and also to allow anybody to take part and build his own machine. However I think that it's too early for that. In the moment electric and hybrid cars are not really useful for long rally-type competitions and also they are pretty expensive, especially hybrids.
By the way I may look more conservative than I'm. On Sunday I'm going to spectate an SAE Formula event where electric cars take part as well. One of those was originally designed by my brother ;) In case You don't know the SAE Formula is a prestigious international university competition held since 1978.
Kubica may get a DS3 WRC drive?
Citroen says works WRC drive is possible for Robert Kubica - WRC news - AUTOSPORT.com
If Kubica wins WRC2 and ERC, and we see that he is given a chance in the A-Team by Matton, more young drivers will try that way, instead of trying a WRCar too early.
And that is more or less how it should be!
That is nothing new. It is the way Loeb, Ogier, Neuville and others came to the WRC...Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland
Not at all. However, some explanation of why you think 'phase 2' came about would be interesting. There are nearly always lessons to be learned from when something was once successful, even in changing times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lousada
It may have to, but how to manage it without creating a Le Mans-type situation whereby there's no point entering in the top class without a hybrid?Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
I have no problem with slowing rallying down in general. In fact, to me that would be a welcome bonus.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mihai