Toyota announces WRC plans

@Rally Power. Almost 90% of French rallying happens in the Southern half of France, I think... Apart from Le Touquet, Cote Fleurie and some other small events, the North-West of France doesn't have much events and also not so much followers. I'm sure that if you would go to the Rallye du Mont-Blanc or Rallye du Var, which are in the same championship, the experience would be very different. ;) I've visited Le Touquet several times, and indeed, on most places you arrive, you are almost completely alone. No big crowds and no big atmosphere...

As said before here, in almost every country rallying is a sport that exists only in a few regions. Same goes for Belgium, where you have a few regions where rallying is quite popular. Those regions have almost too much events for the capacity of it, while in other large parts of the country the sport simply doesn't exist. When no events take place regionally, people can only get to know the sport via other promotion (internet/tv/newspapers), and that's something that has never been great with WRC...

Finland and sweden were very active in rallying in the 50s, 60s, 70s... Finland continued to be active until the mid 2000s and is still quite active with regards to drivers per capita (and rally interest etc etc). Sweden kind of stopped in the early 80s at an international level.

France has always been big in motorsport, including rallying and as you say it is a heritage sport. Italy also has a lot of motorsport heritage but is unfortunately mostly focusing on F1. That doesn't mean you don't see them at rallies... You see tons of them at every rally despite not having a driver to cheer for (Bertelli doesn't count) at the top flight. Italy even has the world's second oldest rally (Targa Florio).

France has always been involved technically in the sport as well as on the driver side. Finland, despite it's motorsport interest (you can't quite claim Finnish heritage but boy are they involved in motorsport) has no car manufacturer and has to my knowledge never previously had a team based there. Only time will tell how it goes. I have quite a lot of doubts about the project but I am also not going to say yay or nay until I see results.

I wish Italian focus was put back on rallying, forgetting their silly Ferrari F1 nonsense and involved one of their manufacturers again.

The result of Tommi's and Toyota's efforts we will see when we get there. I wonder given that Tommi is already not aiming at the top and the late testing schedule etc etc... Buuuut I won't speak too soon.

Italians don't have a driver in the top in F1 neither though. And you can argue about the Targa Florio. It only became a rally later on, before that it was a sportscar race.

I'm still kind of 'Meh' in this Toyota saga but it's a very curious case with them dropping TMG. Time will tell, I hope they will succeed. Part of that will be the need for an experienced driver and so far that seems to be lacking.

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Originally Posted by tommeke_B

I've visited Le Touquet several times, and indeed, on most places you arrive, you are almost completely alone. No big crowds and no big atmosphere...

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Probably fans weren't watching because they were rallying themselves or helping in the service areas;) It was a close to 200 entries rally!

You're right, in the South and the Est we see more spectators, but overall France there's a pretty good knowledge of rallying.

Before the Sebs there was Auriol, Ragnotti, Frequelin and the golden Alpine generation of Andruet, Nicolas, Therier, Darniche and some others. Besides the Alpine-Renault, Peugeot with the 205 and later Citroen with their WRC's also hugely contributed for french rally passion. But above all, there's the mythic Monte Carlo Rally. French love big events and really got a special way to organize them (yes, MC is organized by ACM, but how many non french are there?).

The location of TMG or TMR is not a question of heritage nor which country has the best roads or drivers. It´s just a question of dedication and money. Put some good testing roads besides and fibercables connected to internet and what´s the big deal then?

So let´s get back to topic. This is not a topic of arguing which country has the best pedigree for rallying.

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Originally Posted by Rally Power

Above all, it’s a bit weird to see how this topic has turned into a “with or against Fin rallying” and that there was even a Fin “counterattack” against others passionate rally countries. Everyone is entitled to her/his opinion, but sometimes opinions are exaggerated and lack reasonable arguments to stand for.

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My post was not by any means an attack against anyone, but merely a comment on Cali's observation that Finland's reputation in rallying has not reached the average Joe. In my opinion that is the case in every other nation too in 2010s. It can be different in different regions, but in general - rallying is not football in terms of popularity. It should also be tracked who at the moment claims Finland would be the Rallying Capital of the World. This must come from decades ago. We can now argue that Rally Finland is the best event in the series (= meaning you can argue against as well), but as for other rallying activities I don't know anyone else who'd bash and criticize the current situation more than Finns rallying community itself. It's done to a degree that at some points it needs defending.

https://translate.google.co.uk/trans...989&edit-text=

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Originally Posted by AMSS

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nice to read that Toyota commitment to WRC will continue until at least 2022

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Originally Posted by Rally Power

I’m not French but I got family living there for a long time and I always try to get some rally action while visiting them.

The last one, a couple of years ago, was Touquet Rallye in the north, counting for French champ. I was completely overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of cars and drivers, from top WRC to the oldest Gr.F cars. I just wasn’t impressed by the fans enthusiasm and proper knowledge, because from long time I know French rally fans are among the most passionate ones. Besides, rallying is a French invention, the most iconic world rally is still running on their country routes, they’ve always got national manufacturers involved in rally and at every new generation some talented French rally drivers get to became local (and world) legends. This is why common Frenchy actually knows what rally is. (I suspect common Brits also have a pretty good idea of it!).

Above all, it’s a bit weird to see how this topic has turned into a “with or against Fin rallying” and that there was even a Fin “counterattack” against others passionate rally countries. Everyone is entitled to her/his opinion, but sometimes opinions are exaggerated and lack reasonable arguments to stand for.

Finding Finland the capital of world rallying just because it may be the country with most rally fans per capita (a subjective and hard to verify ratio) it’s clearly overrated and if people find important to identify which country should get that nomination it’d be simpler to see what nation has the larger number of local ASN registered rally drivers or the larger number of rallies run each year.

But there’re others significant issues to look for: the location of the international motorsport/rally authority headquarters; the number and nationality of board elements and key figures in FIA/WRC decision making process; the number and nationality of manufacturers actively involved in rallying.

With a proper and factual view of all those items, we easily get the conclusion that Finland’s claim of “world rally capital” it’s incorrect, but that should never affect Finland heritage status as an iconic rally nation, alongside France, Great Britain and Italy (that sadly has been in a sort of rally hibernation).

One final remark on Makinen/Toyota partnership: since day one I’ve been a clear supporter of it, refusing the negative over criticism that foolishly has become predominant. My support doesn’t come from Makinen nationality or his choice to base the team in Finland; it comes from believing in his ability to turn TMR into a sort of MSport and make his company a powerful rally cluster capable of helping rally global growth.

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Mon Ami Portogauloise,
maybe true the French cooked up the idea of rally..The french have always been not just daring in creation, but brave enough to try new ideas--- Remember 1789!! Remember 1871, the Commune shall never die!

But just like another thing they may have invented something, they may have initially embraced something...But I used to say when I lived in Sweden "The cher Francaise may have invented fawkin bureaucracy, but the Swedes took the idea and perfected it!"

I do not think I think of Finland as "Ralli Paradis" because of the numbers of fans....I think of them because the number of drivers---all the way back to the 1960s, sheer numbers that can make decent results and who have scored points in the worlds best rallies..

The record shows that the HUGE MAJORITY of all the Dubya Arsey wins for France have really been won by just 3-4 --drivers.and the Sebs Loeb-gier accounting for a huge portion of the wins..with just a light sprinkle of a point taken here, o few points there---by a large number of drivers..

Et au contraire
En Finlande on trouve en battalion oops ---you find a battalion of drivers over the years capable of winning a huge variety of rounds...

And when I spectate at Monte Carlo 93, the French fans I spoke with seemed to have a mystical tone in their voices when they spoke of Sweden and Finland and rally..
If it was made into a movie, when they refer to the North, the camera would move down and look up in the faces, a warm spot light and soft focus, and in the background a angelic choir would sign a rising soft tone and the fans would speak sorta in awe "The snow! The forests! The SPEEDS!, the jumps! TOUTE!"
Of course very unscientific sample....

I admit that France is my favorite country dans toute le monde, I loved the 2 seasons I was there, and even 35-40 years later I still read and am fascinated by their enthusiasm on their moto-cross and rally forums..

But..fans is one thing.....50 years of many Finns ---not one after another--but many fighting at or near the top, and an intense National scene means for me its no argument where I think
"The Capital" is.

Thiz uone also got tirerd explainingue why France iz the worlde capitale of rallye!http://cdn4.scoopers.com/a048b8d5f3f...a196bdaab2.jpg

Janvanpura...no doubt Fins did a great job perfecting Rallye but You and all the north european friends should get a closer look into the last 10 years of French rallying to see their rally boom and how they're exporting young kids to WRC front line...just like Fins and Swedes did in the 70's, 80's and 90's!

Btw, you have to came to Portugal: that way You'll find O MELHOR PAÍS do MUNDO! (we got even better weather, wine and women than french!).