2013 ERC News and Results

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Originally Posted by Mirek

As I already wrote, only city stage is placed in San Marino, all other stages are in Italy...

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That's no good reason to pull out SanRemo. Very similar situation to Montecarlo and no one dares to put out Alsace from WRC because there are 2 rallies using french stages...

This calendar is still a transitional move from previous IRC seasons, on which was obvious eurosport interest to make large financial revenues from less prestigious rallies.

From 2014, with direct manufacturers involvement, probably eurosport will consider manus markets preferences and countries like Croatia, Romania or Lithuania could give place to Italy, Russia or even Germany.

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Originally Posted by Arganil

This calendar is still a transitional move from previous IRC seasons, on which was obvious eurosport interest to make large financial revenues from less prestigious rallies.

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I would like to correct you. This calendar is still ONLY draft from Motorsport News, nothing is final yet. They are still making discussion with other organisers... Actually only about 4-5 events 100% sure they will be in...

Last night the organization of Rally Azores confirmed the inclusion in the ERC. They want the race set to April or June.

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Originally Posted by Eyvind

This should be a European championship, not an invention of Eurosport with rallies that have more money.

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Very wise comment! I read a statement from IRC managers, where they said that they are going to bring back ERC to its glory days of the seventies. I have no idea how they are going to do it with such anonymous rallies without any tradition like Sibiu.

After the withdrawal of Ford from WRC, M-Sport is going to compete in ERC in 2013. There are rumours that their driver will be Giandomenico Basso, who won ERC in 2006 and 2009.

M-Sport will do ERC (I dont know if M-Sport personally or with satelite team), lineup is not sure, but I expect at least two cars...

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Originally Posted by PLuto

M-Sport will do ERC (I dont know if M-Sport personally or with satelite team), lineup is not sure, but I expect at least two cars...

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Basso and Meeke would be a nice lineup :)

Unless Skoda do some serious ERC effort next year then I would place a bet now on Basso to be champion.

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Originally Posted by Arganil

... Very similar situation to Montecarlo and no one dares to put out Alsace from WRC because there are 2 rallies using french stages...

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Please, don't forget that FIA "speaks French" ;-)

If Eurosport wants to give back the glamour of ERC next year, it must choose events with some traditions, good level of local competitors/privateers and decent level of penetration of rally sport among local fans. To develop and introduce new events may be a good mid term strategy.

Nevertheless, from Eurosport, FIA and manufactorers perspective it is more or less all about the money, hopefully this strategy can work along with ERC rebirth.

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Originally Posted by RS

...Unless Skoda do some serious ERC effort next year then I would place a bet now on Basso to be champion.

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Lets hope, that it will not be so easy to predict the future champion, having in mind the intention of having different type of rallies (tarmac, gravel, snow).

Yes, depends on money due to TV Coverage. You all remember Chris Courteyn TV. In the 90ies (and still today), he broadcast all ERC rounds with 30 - 60 minutes reports. Payed by his personal sponsors and if an Organizer has to add for example 10K Euro, it was OK. He made all with some crews, ofcourse no live (except Ypres where he made experiments with no money limit), but well done reports shown at free-TV.

Today all must be with big and expensive equipment, live coverage, many people involved, so its expensive and anybody has to pay. Its big business now. It was business in 90ies, too, but now its 10 steps higher. Today if I make a report one week later, nobody has interest. It must be broadcast same day, and if its on 23 in the night, many "fans" are angry.

If I remember back the ERC Coef 20 like Halkidiki, Manx, Corte Ingles (the old one ...), Piancavallo, Poland at Krakow/Wroclaw, everyone was its own and an adventure for itself.