IRC 2009 - what was hot and what was not

[RS]

Similar to the thead that was started at the end of the WRC season...

+ Kris Meeke's consistent and fast driving all year
+ Skoda's very strong debut
+ Basso's amazing tarmac speed
+ Peugeot UK's support for IRC
+ Some great entry lists, especially on mainland European events
+ Hanninen's progress on tarmac
+ Eurosport increasing live coverage
+ Increasing media coverage of IRC
+ Great calendar of varied and beautiful events
+ Championship challenge of Jan Kopecky in Fabia's first year

- Abarth's continuing unreliability and patchy performance
- Championship being tied up before final round
- Hanninen's early season accidents (without those he could have gone for the title)
- Safari Rally not supported (gone for 2010)
- Anton Alen's unreliability, lack of pace and poor attitude

[Simmi]

+ Great to see the emergence of the Fabia. Really proof positive for prospective car manufacturers that it is possible to come in to rallying and make a quick car with this formula.
+ Obviously as a Brit it was amazing to see Kris do so well. Especially his pace on unfamiliar rallies.
+ Bringing back some excitement to rallying on the Monte. (ACM has to take some credit too).

- Abarth going out with a whimper after looking like eventual WRC returnees.
- Some rallies being huge events while others barely registering (a product of the rules - but not anything new in rallying.)

[Barreis]

Similar to the thead that was started at the end of the WRC season...

+ Kris Meeke's consistent and fast driving all year
+ Skoda's very strong debut
+ Basso's amazing tarmac speed
+ Peugeot UK's support for IRC
+ Some great entry lists, especially on mainland European events
+ Hanninen's progress on tarmac
+ Eurosport increasing live coverage
+ Increasing media coverage of IRC
+ Great calendar of varied and beautiful events
+ Championship challenge of Jan Kopecky in Fabia's first year

- Abarth's continuing unreliability and patchy performance
- Championship being tied up before final round
- Hanninen's early season accidents (without those he could have gone for the title)
- Safari Rally not supported (gone for 2010)
- Anton Alen's unreliability, lack of pace and poor attitude

I agree..

[nerdhan]

+ The Proton Satria Neo, one of the best looking rally cars I've seen in a while and far more good looking than the Redbull and Abu Dhabi multi coloured paint jobs on the WRC cars which look a joke.

[J4MIE]

+ Monte coverage was excellent and a great start to the year
+ Great coverage, especially of Azores (really impressed me) and Ypres.
+ Good events, everyone friendly and everything very accessible unlike WRC where you are kept at arms length from everything.


- Needs a snow event
- Proton..... Disagree that it looks good (though I like the colour!), it is slow and unreliable. Perfect example to others of how not to do it - unlike Skoda.

[RS]

- Needs a snow event
- Proton..... Disagree that it looks good (though I like the colour!), it is slow and unreliable. Perfect example to others of how not to do it - unlike Skoda.

It's better than the Corsa for example...

[Wim_Impreza]

Agree with you RS.

I will add some more things:
+ Really good results service by the Czech people.
+ The liveries on most cars were very good, while in WRC they are mostly ugly.
+ The IRC events had more media coverage than the WRC in Belgium.

- Loix was disappointing in speed. He didn't won a rally.

[RS]

- Loix was disappointing in speed. He didn't won a rally.

For me, that wasn't a surprise. Loix is not as bad as the people on the WRC forum say, but I don't think he is *quite* on the level of Meeke/Kopecky e.t.c.

However, as a Skoda fan I would still be very happy to see Freddy in a Fabia next year