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Everything F1 offers is media sexy. Long legs, short skirts, oversized budgets, best sponsors, yachts, Ferrari....
WRC has tried to imitate it with larger motorhomes, rally HQs has turned to more sophistigated, heck, we even have gridgirls ;) But WRC will never get the same interest as F1 and I don't think it even should.
Couldn't agree more there...Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
i wouldn;t mind getting the same interest as long as that doesn;t lead in changing the nature of the sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
But it has already changed it.Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
We have lost the endurance factor, we have lost the night stages etc. WRC cannot afford to loose any more what made it so appealing in the first place since it just cannot compete with F1 with popularity.
WRCars were one of the thing introduce to make WRC more like F1, I think now we realize it's a bad thing to make WRC too elitist and to compete with F1, it can be healthy separately. Good thing they are trying to regain the rally elements.
Manufacturers realised that our sport has bad value for the money invested in it. That's why they're out of business. I don't remember when I saw last time big sponsor on works Subaru squad.. Sponsors don't see it ineresting and they're analysing market all the time.. Same as manufacturers..Quote:
Originally Posted by tmx
to be honest i don;t care much about the endurance factor ...it would be nice to have an endurance event like safari but i prefer the rallies to be as fast as possible. Night stages are not completely lost.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Rallying is not a tv sport and thats why you can never expect it to be as popular as a tv sport. TV is big money nowadays. Thats the only reason and not because we don;t have Mcrae, celebrity kids, red ballons and spacemen.
Exactly. The WRC should cut its cloth accordingly and stop attempting to turn itself into something it isn't. I couldn't give a toss about the championship as it is now — nor, to be honest, the IRC — and this is a big part of it. The lack of strong national championships is also, surely, a major contributory factor.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Italy has great championship with paid drivers.. :) Also MC rally and San Remo rally are removed from the calendar.. Manufacturers want show and that's why they are out of this and some B teams (with some reach guys (with talent)) are in.. All the money (until this season) went to pocket of Mr Wilson (and Mr Richards).. Mr Quesnell learnt very well: GIVEEEEE MEEEE ALLLLL YOUUUU GOTTTTT!!!!
WRC was doing relatively okay until the mid -90's. Then people got involved who thought they could make it 'sexy' 'popular' , etc That meant Live TV and everything that goes with it. Selling the sport's soul to the 'devil', i;e TV. Ultra-compact routes, no night stages, etc For a few years it looked okay, up to 7 Manufacturers with up to 4 factory cars each, but one by one they all left, and nothing was done.
Reality needs to be faced, this isn't F1, never has been, never will be. Just accept it's a 'niche' sport that occasionally becomes popular - I mean take our own RallyGB - it used to go nationwide, and Joe Public could follow it, good TV/Radio/Papers coverage. So what happens, they move it to a 'corner' of Wales - that's really clever - limiting the amount of exposure.
Just be grateful that sponsors like Red Bull, Stobart, Abu Dhabi are in the WRC - they're obviously fans of the sport - because otherwise they would go to another more popular media friendly sport.