[WRC] News & rumours (part II)

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

^^^ this is the major problem for WRC right now. Forget which events could or should be in, there is time for that to change. What WRC needs is proper promotion to get people watching it whether that's on TV, over the web streamed or in the flesh. The 500m figure is false...sure it's potentially broadcast to that many but how many actually watch it, compared to say when the BBC used to follow the RAC rally? I used to love getting up early to see Steve Rider tell me someone had been "got" by Keilder.

Without that coverage, the argument over whether X rally should be in are moot. WRC needs more manufacturers teams, more sponsors looking to be involved and right now there's very little to justify that investment - very few people know about WRC and it's a shame because it is a fantastic sport.

I would agree that in recent years there's been too many identikit rallies, anonymous gravel and tarmac roads that really could in any of about 20 places. But right now the modern WRC has to get people interested, new followers who don't know the history have no idea what you mean by "the yellow house" or "turini". Then we can start talking about bringing back those events

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Yeah, quite agree. Question, what is Promotion?? What does it mean, what does it involve? Put it this way, it's not just TV coverage....
What about radio, newspapers, magazines, and then all newer media. Fact is the WRC is poorly promoted, however, it would help if there was a great deal to promote.

As for the Steve Rider and Kielder comment - I think you mean William Woollard...but I agree, that type of coverage is unimaginable nowadays.

WRC has Ken Block and Kimi Raikonen as two global stars and cannot do something more to promote the sport. It's NorthOne or ISC's mistake, they're promoters. THey don't care. From the day when David Richards took the TV rights in his hands, sport started to fall down.

We have a saying here that ”some guys like the daughter and other ones the mother and some ones like their both”. It’s the same with different rallies. Of course everyone have the right to defend his or her opinions.

But anyway if I would be a sponsor for a team or a driver I would rather take my customers to rallies where there are lot of spectators and thereby also usually a good feeling.

Jean Todt has also said that WRC should go more away from Europe to countries with growing car markets like Russia, China and India. The car markets in Russia has already been growing for years judging by the trucks on Finnish roads (above 700 000 cars in 2008).

If there where a WRC rally, lets say in India, would it get any spectators and would the manufacturers get their desired visibility among potential car buyers in a country where rally (I assume) have no heritage. It would IMO demand a huge TV campaign showing some spectacular clips of rallying on free TV channels during prime time.

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Originally Posted by Gregor-y

I like to say Chicago is convenient because it's central to everything and inconvenient because it's close to nothing. Sno*Drift is only about 400 miles away so the same rule applies. It's close to some olympic training areas and summer towns so there is some capacity for spectators flying in to Chicago or Detroit. I'd say the main advantages are it's a long established event, has good relations with local government, is relatively compact and still has excellent organization that ensures stages are up and running on time. Outside of Detroit the roads in Michigan are pretty well maintained and in the winter the snow is groomed to make the roads very pleasant.

California is a wonderful place to drive and I can think of many areas just to the north and south of San Francisco that could make for a world class tarmac rally in terms of challenge and scenery, but getting permission would be a nightmare. Still I can just imagine a starting point in Golden Gate Park with a transit across the bridge to stages in Marin County. That would be worth the 35 hour drive. ;)

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Or they could have just one long stage, the pacific coast highway from, say, San Fransisco-Los Angeles... GREAT road!

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Originally Posted by Miika

Then again there one could spectate anywhere one likes, since it would be the other way around, marshals being drunk and spectators running the show. I´m of course kidding, just being sad that it so uptight here in NORF these days, trying to maintain Grand Prix -like safety levels in the woods.

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Maybe I was extremely lucky but I had absolutely no problem with marshals in NORF. Sometimes there were none in the woods where I was, sometimes we found some good compromise with them in rather friendly talk. It was my first time in NORF, next year another attempt, so maybe I won't be so lucky again...

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Originally Posted by Mirek

Maybe I was extremely lucky but I had absolutely no problem with marshals in NORF.

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Normal spectators usually dont have, usually it's the big headed amateur photographers who get in trouble.

This year I was almost surprised how liberal the attitude from marshals was.

What about this??
Kenya plans to run the 2012 Safari Rally as a WRC candidate event | RallyBuzz :s mokin:

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Originally Posted by Red bull

What about this??
Kenya plans to run the 2012 Safari Rally as a WRC candidate event | RallyBuzz :s mokin:

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:D

India for WRC to target buyers of cars? I don't think so. There is an extreme difference between the poor and wealthy classes. And the wealthy won't buy a Citroen or Ford, more like Lexus, BMW and Mercedes etc.

US rally in California or Michigan would be silly. They need a good Forrest/Woods rally with Maple leaf stages! Oh, Canada would do! :D

The thing is having Kimi and Block in the WRC yes it's big names but these names have to pay to be in tv regardless of what position they are in the rally.