Growth also has to do with cost/benefitial matters.
So I do believe costs has to be overhauled.
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Growth also has to do with cost/benefitial matters.
So I do believe costs has to be overhauled.
I think that it is ok to try to reach new countries and public outside Europe but only if it shows growing opportunities. If after 10 years your entry list is 27 crews and in the stages there are more marshall than spectators then maybe that country is not a good choice no matter where it is.
It's only a test... for now.
Would be curious to see him at the wheel though :)
I wish FIA would think even remotely in the same way as they seem to think in darts:
http://www.sportspromedia.com/quick_...gerwen-featureQuote:
“We choose our growth territories quite carefully, based on a number of factors,” he explains. “One is the amount of darts played in that country – does the general public have a base knowledge of what darts is, what a dartboard looks like, that you have to throw three darts at it. I know that sounds very basic but it is something of a prerequisite.
“The second thing is whether we feel that a sport culturally works there and the third thing is do we achieve any TV exposure there, which is our biggest advert for the product.
“The key thing under our expansion is that we go into the right places at the right time. We don’t just go into a country just for the sake of going into a country. We haven’t got a burning desire to have tournaments in 200 countries around the world.
All sports want to grow and to be a true 'global' sport - that's normal. However, you have to be sensible in achieving that. Just going to the highest bidder is a recipe for disaster. Ideally, there will already be a decent local/national series, with interest from the local media, importers, etc
The sport of rallying, however, isn't a particularly big sport - and can it really achieve substantial and long lasting growth? We've had 16 rounds before - and it was massively expensive.
I'd prefer them to 'cut their cloth accordingly' - and improve current events to sell the sport more. I'm not convinced, despite all the backslapping, that we're seeing that.
Also, one of the biggest markets is proving to be a 'hard sell' for the sport; the USA. MotoGP, WEC, and F1 all have rounds there....but the WRC doesn't look it's any nearer to achieving this.
World rallying is "Eurocentric" because that is where the teams are based, it's where the interest is and, as NOT correctly stated, it's a European sport and has always been so. A competition doesn't have to travel the world to qualify as a World Championship.
In times past staging events in vastly differing countries added interest to the contest as each production was part sport and part geographical documentary. But today, with events being of a sprint nature, each with a handful of repeated stages, they all look the same. You could probably run the entire series in one country and the viewing public would not notice ... or care.
And there are benefits in doing so.