How do you see the future of rally?

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Originally Posted by N.O.T

then there would not be any manufacturers in the sport.....

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History doesn't support your negativity N.O.T.
If we go right back to the Grp 1,2 & 4 days privateers rallied cars of identical specification to the factory drivers. In the Grp A & B days they did similarly. And many had success and rather than detract from the factory effort, they in fact shared in the glory.
There's no reason why it ought be any different today.

gtimad73, you are quite correct. Presently we have 4 drivers who theoretically can win (6 if you count Mini) and this must be a deterent to entry. A return to open access to competitive machinery can only be a good thing.

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Originally Posted by sollitt

History doesn't support your negativity N.O.T.
If we go right back to the Grp 1,2 & 4 days privateers rallied cars of identical specification to the factory drivers. In the Grp A & B days they did similarly. And many had success and rather than detract from the factory effort, they in fact shared in the glory.
There's no reason why it ought be any different today.

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compare car sales and profits from the 70s-80s with car sales for today and you have your answer to that.

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Originally Posted by N.O.T

compare car sales and profits from the 70s-80s with car sales for today and you have your answer to that.

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That has nothing to do with the prospect of allowing privateers to run identical machinery as factory drivers. If anything such allowance would assist the cause for the manufacturer.
Examples exist today in circuit racing where the factory may fund the R&D and the homologation which is then available to allcomers. Which is exactly as it was in rallying until quite recently, not just the 70's & 80's.

If you want a current Fiesta WRCar.. there's only one place to go - M-Sport!! And that is wrong.....any prep company should be able to build a WRCar - like used to be.

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Originally Posted by AndyRAC

If you want a current Fiesta WRCar.. there's only one place to go - M-Sport!! And that is wrong.....any prep company should be able to build a WRCar - like used to be.

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You are correct Andy, but even worse is that if you go to M-Sport with your money you still won't get the same spec car as the contracted drivers.

If more drivers could get into competitive machinery and actually compete, that may well provide incentive for more manufacturer interest in the sport.

Without live streams it's bad. Kids don't care for sport, only real fans. More works seats needed (with paid drivers, non paying).

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Originally Posted by sollitt

You are correct Andy, but even worse is that if you go to M-Sport with your money you still won't get the same spec car as the contracted drivers.

If more drivers could get into competitive machinery and actually compete, that may well provide incentive for more manufacturer interest in the sport.

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I have to wonder if going (back?) to an actual manufacturer's championship (ie. if you finish in the points in a Ford, instead of your "Billy Bob's/Yellow Power Tool/Energy Drink World Rally Team" getting points, Ford gets points.) would help from that aspect - certainly seems like it would provide much less of an incentive for a car builder to handicap some of their cars.

But then, when they get around to showing the manufacturer leader board with only two or three entries on it, WRC/North One will have to own up to the fact that they really don't have much interest from some key players.

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Originally Posted by AndyRAC

If you want a current Fiesta WRCar.. there's only one place to go - M-Sport!! And that is wrong.....any prep company should be able to build a WRCar - like used to be.

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My thoughts exactly!

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Originally Posted by Plan9

[/I][/B]I am not sure how it could be made cheap. There will always be an element of cost in this sport.

Very very good questions BTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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By a few rules we had for decades:
Minimum run of vehicles: xxxxxx units.
Make it 10,000

Gearbox: Series production gearbox..and diffs and driveshafts and CVs

You can sure as hell bet that within no time at all that every car would have a reliable enough box and diffs full of the right ratios and final drive and diffs.

The current teams would whine and cry and sniffle that they are all going to commit collective hari-kari cause they will claim it can't be done.

But high performance road bikes have absurdly wonderful amazingly reliable gearboxes and have had then 5-6 speed sequential boxes, for 40 years or more.
Free with every bike.

Oh. Standard hubs---and bodyshells, that would focus the attention on the insane suspension and shell costs.

This is basically waht original Group A was...

And ANYBODY could buy a new shell-in-white for under 1000 English squids.

Awesome thread Brother John! I can tell you as a relative newcomer to the sport, and spending quite a bit of the time learning the history of the series over the last couple of years, I feel the next five years are going to be very exciting indeed. I may not have the intimate knowledge of the technical history of the sport that some of you do but I can tell you I think the competition is closing up on Loeb and next year should be a barn-burner for sure! My biggest complaint with the WRC at this point is the quality of the coverage. I just can't rationalize waiting 3 weeks to watch ~75 mins of ESPN coverage and ~135 mins of MotorsTV coverage, it's just not enough! Not only from a sheer volume standpoint but from a technical and celebrity standpoint as well. I understand producing the coverage is expensive but I would rather have the amateurish web coverage we had on Rally France than nothing at all. For this sport to succeed, it's needs emotional investment in the drivers on the part of the fans. I need to know more about the individual drivers, their personalities, their cars, their co-drivers, etc. I can say as an "outsider", that this forum takes as awfully harsh stance with a sport that I am so envious you have to enjoy. To some extent I feel it is taken for granted and growing up with the sport has given some a sense of nostalgia that is not quite objective. I know you all love the sport and have things you would like to change but for me, I see the future of WRC going nowhere but up! I dream of one day saving enough money to make it to Rally Finland but that will probably remain just a dream!