Travis definitely cannot hang with the big boys. But then again neither can Petter anymore (outside of benefiting from other's misfortunes). I think if you replaced Petter with Travis you wouldn't notice the difference.
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Travis definitely cannot hang with the big boys. But then again neither can Petter anymore (outside of benefiting from other's misfortunes). I think if you replaced Petter with Travis you wouldn't notice the difference.
Travis is exactly the type of guy the WRC needs at the highest level. He would be an energetic and passionate spokesman for the sport and as people have said he represents a lot of marketing opporunities.
Bottom line is that he hasn't driven a WRC car outside of the confines of a stadium. Hopefully one day he will find a way into a top car but he wouldn't set the world alight. I'm sure of that.
Im personally not for him jumping into a WRC with where hes at right now.
But Im kind of surprised to see people for guy like Rautenbach in a ride and not Travis? Neither of them deserve one right now in my opinion but lets face it the sports about money not who's the best.
Im sure a few people on here have some talent to play with the top guys but does that mean your entitled to? In a just world maybe.
From where are these clowns coming??? The starter of the thread was from Israel and I bet this guy is rally fan from Hawaii?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrike
Travis is probably more near to Conrad Reutenbach than Petter Solberg. There is probably 30 drivers only in Finland who would outpace Pastrana. Yet I am far from certain that any of them would outpace P. Solberg.
as you all forgeting one big thing .
WRC need new markets and Subaru needs new attraction for the new car .
there are better drivers then TP , o.k , BUT there is no one that can bring media interest as good as him.
also - he is american, what can go well in north america.
all you are thinking is the man behind the wheele , but sorry to tell you that people in the teams are looking and talking about money and advertisment.
citroen is crying for better TV deal or so .
you all have to look at the whole big picture.
duby
I think we are all aware of that, but the teams need to find a balance between marketability and speed with their drivers.. at the moment Travis would only provide marketability.Quote:
Originally Posted by Duby
Without the speed this could end up having a negative effect on their brand image... I think you are omiting the importance of winning from your bigger picture.
If Subaru put only Advertising as their main priority.. Travis WOULD be in WRC right now.
If he is slow he can't score points he don't belong in WRC. And if he must replaced someone it is Rautenbach by PH Sport. Then ok, he is a option. But Solberg did not must replaced by this amateur.
Please Duby. This is a wrong analyse and no good journalism. The best advertisement is winning, podium and points. In that order.
Am I the only one that is reminded by Mario Andretti's dismal 1993 F1 season?
michael andretti , not mario...Quote:
Originally Posted by Rani
For a rally media man you don't know much about the essence of the sport.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Duby
Agree, the whole question Pastrana to replace Solberg is absurde, a crap driver like Pastrana would be a burden for any team if they would, I think here you can see also on how low level the media is.Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
Subaru out of WRC?Quote:
Originally Posted by MJW
Travis to replace Petter Solberg? :D Please, lets mantain the few ones that are good and not replacing him by rally actors. Travis or Block could be spectacular, but Gigi Galli is also spectacular. Give him a car free to ride and you'll see a spectacular latin driver!
Petter Solberg is two step behind the faster ones on WRC, but still is a good driver, better than many drivers on WRC and much better than Travis.
How long are we going to see this stupid thread each time we visit the forum.....
great motorcycle acrobat(or whatever is called) he might be but a great rally driver he isn't(or in the better case he still isn't)
So until he shows some speed at PWRC, he's on my "not good enough for WRC" list of drivers, I wouldn't care if he buys a ride on a private team but I'd really hate the publicity stunt(just that) it would be if he replaces Solberg or any driver at a works team
Like we need you americans? DUH?!Quote:
Originally Posted by Duby
Aren't you guys a little harsh? I thought this is an open forum.
IMO we do need Americans in rallying. The difference is do Americans need WRC at all? Pastrana can't replace Petter but he would be ideal third driver OR one of the drivers in Subarus possible M2 team. Many Americans didn't even know what Paris-Dakar was before Robby Gordon took part in Dakar-raid. If Pastrana should compete in highest level of rallying it would not only increase the market value of WRC but in best case, open a way to get North-American WRC rally. I bet his fanbase is a teeny weeny bigger than Rautenbach's for instance.
Why, for what? Never really understood this need of someone in something when they never have really been there.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
I thought I already answered that.Quote:
Originally Posted by DonJippo
Not really as I was asking for what WRC would need them now if it has managed 40 years without them?Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Not really as I was asking for what WRC would need them now if it has managed 40 years without them?Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
WRC has managed 40 years without them because they have nothing to bring to the sport that would somehow make it better.Quote:
Originally Posted by DonJippo
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonJippo
It hasn't managed for 40 years without the US/North America.
There were WRC events in the Us as late as the 1980s and candidate events in Canada as recently as 2001/2002.
I am not saying that the WRC needs the US, or that rallying in North America needs the WRC (and they are two different questions). Just pointing out that the WRC hasn't always been without a North American event as your 40 years statement would imply.
What did WRC need 4wd for when it managed to do fine without it for over twenty years?Quote:
Originally Posted by DonJippo
I'll spell it to you. C-H-A-N-G-E.
I don't get it :confused: Everybody is whining that WRC is not in good shape and obviously something has to be changed in order to fix things.
I thought I was conservative....
I dont know about consrvative, but its difficult to see what taking WRC to a country where is practically no rally at all, would give.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
How com you look things so black and white? What did Norway offer before Solberg? Or Estonia before Märtin? Surely there's some rallying in USA. Heck, after Uuspaavalniemi, we have curling stadiums at every frigging corner ;)
Nothing much, the thing is that us dont have any Solberg or Märtin only a bad copy of Rautenbach. The us rally is about the same as in Vanuatu.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Have you ever seen US Rally? It's pretty entertaining actualy, eventhough they only use N+ (open) cars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
Just to bad they lost the coverage this year cos watching rally in HD is cool :)
Bad copy of Rautenbach? Rautenbach can't even crash properly :p
Watch how Pastrana skillfully writes off a brand new 08 Impreza at 5:40 lol
http://rally.subaru.com/videos.html
Sometimes it is good to be realistic...Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Yes from video i have.Quote:
Originally Posted by SubaruNorway
Is it really realistic to say USA will NEVER produce a quality driver and it's useless to even think so, based on just because you say so ?
Anyways... I believe that a successfull invidual in any sport can isnpire new ones to join in by his/her results, should it be in USA or Vanuatu.
Offcourse its not realistic, they have even had one, John Buffum was his name, they also have had an event, but to start to build a rally culture by bringing the WRC to a country who has not even a proper base for rallying and where in the startlist is about 30 cars/event, is a waste of time in my opinion.
God for bid we can agree to disagree :)
I get more views on my videos on their forum than on this, not sure if that says anything though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
But from looking at pictures and stuff it seems to be pretty big, or maybe thats just the people who shows up to get Pastranas autograph...
Yes thats good :) , my point is just why take the pinnacle of the sport, to places where nobody is interested, when there is places that work hard for the sport, Belgium, Estonia, Czech, only a few to mention, they have the base already also the spectators. "Kannettu vesi ei kaivossa pysy" as you well know.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Was I saying USA will never produce a quality driver? I was simply asking for what does WRC need US or North America to be accurate when rallying is even more marginal sport there than it's in Europe as an example?Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
Tomi is right.
US "Champignonskit" events still get only maybe 30-40 cars, and as we see, if Travis cannot consistently finish in the top 2/3 of VM events without Super-Rally and he's far and away one of the fastest in North America currently, then you have an idea of the level of speed.
Besides, remember he's already won the 2007 World rally Championship as we saw for a few days and the events are still small, and media coverage is only "Paid" coverage, not real interest, virtually no spectataors--OK maybe 50-75, maybe more in the population dense NE of USA.
Tomi's point is "Why fight to make USA love WRC rally?" when there are LOTS of places where it is welcome and have tradition that is exciting.
Where's Portogallo? San Remo, Safari?
WRC doesn't need more American claims of being "phenomenal" and that the drivers are "superstars" for coming a few places back from Pastrana, who can't break into the top half of the full GpN field.
I don't think an American will succeed in reasonable placements in WRC once the American promotion machines get hold of him. And from just the size of the US and the costs of entering all the events a person must have either independent weatlth (and we've seen how poorly motivated those are with independant wealth) of sponsorship support.Quote:
Originally Posted by DonJippo
And once sponsors and "managers" get involved, they want their "product' to be seen in the USA, and better for them to win against maybe only one or 3 other "similarly" funded (by that I mean the next nearest teams to Subaru's US budget are probably 1/4 to 1/5 of subaru's funding) so they can scream "No1!!!!!" than go overseas and kicked and stomped into a bloody pulp very possibly for years.
I rest my case your honor.
hi all
finally i can say thank you for every body who took part in my research or experiment .
i dont really think that TP shoukd replace P.solberg and i think he still can get some great results with the new impreza .
Travis...well, he really need to upgrade his driving (may be Derek Ringer can help him) .
i am about to put a story about Solberg and Subaru .
thanks for all the reactions .
duby
To be honest, TP is nothing close to being a WRC star. He has fame but does not have the skills, even in PWRC. He can stay in the US and impress the American Subaru fan boys there with some silly stunts, like the one Subaru did with a super fly impreza stunt. blehh ..