Hi, if you don't feel to read, scroll down.
The answer to that question comes from me, a fan of the sport but not an expert.
As a french-canadian, the auto-sport I have been raised with was F1, Indy and, if from a small city, Nascar.
I have learned about rally sometime about 12 years ago, with the help of: computer games (Collin McRae's), our national rally championship (which is aired at midnight between a poker game and a dog show) and a T.V. Show called “The world of sports from Gillett”.
Strangely, like me, the ones that I know who like rally don't watch other car events, with the exception of: Montréal GP(action and it's here), Monaco GP, Indianapolis and Bristol. Because in all these other sports, all they do is that they turn in a circle. We don't care.
But, we can (try to) put ourselves in the minds of a rally driver, specially when “onboard”.
In all other auto-sport, all you are waiting for is an accident.
Not in rally; you want them to succeed.
So, this is what I would do if I were the boss of WRC:
1-Cleaners:
After each stage, there would be a team of “cleaners” with high pressure water hoses that would clean the doors of each car for 1 minute (perhaps is this done). There is no point for being a sponsor if the spectators can only see your name in 2 stages a day. Eeach car would be cleaned for each stages.
2-Internet:
I can't understand that in these days we can't have a “real time” image of what is going on. Wi-fi too costly, or impossible in remote places? At each end of a stage, the co-driver gives a USB key to a camera crew and receives a new one. On this key is all the onboard images.
That would make possible the “amazing” possibility that when listening to the WRC radio, the internet spectators could also see the onboard of the last drivers.
3-Places to visit:
There are 13 wonderful places to visit via the WRC schedule, why not sell them? And there is no need to ask the customer to visit while the rally is taking place.
Here, the Tour de France is shown live everyday and has a highlight every night. Not on a sports channel, on a cable channel called “Evasion” who is only about travels and vacations. During the race, they show the area. The ads are paid by plane companies and “lonely planets”.
The first two stages of this weekend's rally were really nice to see, but I have no idea where it is and what is fun to do in this area. Is it nice to be there in June?
4-Global audience:
There are no rallyes in: North America (meaning USA and Canada), none in Korea, none in Japan, none in China, none in Inda, none in Brazil.
How would you want to attract car builders to your sport?
Mexico, Jordan or France (so near to Germany and Monte Carlo is coming back) could easily be replaces with:
a)North America: near Québec City, Vancouver (or Cascadia), Colorado or Nevada.
b)China.
5-Nascar:
Reading from the blog of Mr. Warmbold, I have seen that at 5M$ a year you could have a WRC car.
Are you kidding me? The last Nascar team has this amount of money. And only 42 cars are starting a race. The last one doesn't start the race.
The problem is not that it's too expensive. The problem is that WRC is not a good investment for a sponsor.
If WRC can work on to make sure that its product is a good investment, don't worry, the money will fallow.
10 manufacturers and all...
6-*The cars are not the same as the ones on the street.
BS.
Btw, I'm pretty sure that the Mini and the Clubman have the same frame. I would bet 1$ that it's only a marketing thing.
Moreover, in Nascar, they have cars that ARE ALL THE SAME!!!!!
All running on coal!
And the manufacturers are still bragging about their wins, and the fans do the same about their heroes.
All this to say that there is an immense market not taken by rally deciders.
And I think that this has nothing to do with the Groupe A and all...
