GT Class

[RAS007]

Those cars have never been successful on loose surface. Does that mean that they do not belong in rallying?

Apparently it does, at least according to the sages on these forums.

[Franky]

I just can't understand how some can't understand what the others are telling them

[N.O.T]

I just can't understand how some can't understand what the others are telling them

Congratulations kid, you just found one the No1 problem of humanity... here is a complimentary watch and some flowers for your effort.

[RAS007]

I just can't understand how some can't understand what the others are telling them

Well, it's always going to be more difficult when you start by telling people that your opinions are actually facts.

[AndyRAC]

Indeed. I think it was in Corsica or Catalunya that there was a lot of commotion about it. Citroën Xsara Kitcars were winning, I think it was mainly Toyota that complained about it being unfair.

From 1997-99 the F2 cars added extra interest to the Tarmac rounds - something that any sport should want. But not the WRC. The WRCar teams kicked up a stink because they were being beaten by the F2 Kit cars......awww, what a shame. As it was, the Xsara Kit car was the only F2 car to win a full WRC round outright, in the hands of Bugalski, in Catalunya & Corsica; but there were podiums as well for the 306 Maxi in earlier 97/98.

I like the suggestion on another forum of an European International Tarmac series - far more 'road relevant' than a series made up of lots of dry, dusty gravel events. Of course it will never / can't happen.

[Mirek]

You have a brilliant point with the tarmac series. ERC is quite close to that, 8 rounds of 10 are counted and 6 of the events are asphalt ones. That's quite close to an asphalt series and for such the GTs may make sense. What is still necessary is to allow them to win in overall classification, without that it will be another fail like so far.

This is maybe something what Eurosport should use to its advantage. So far there has been a pressure from FIA to make ERC as similar to WRC as possible. Maybe it would be a good idea to revert the trend and go own way and to promote GT cars to +/- equal status with R5 (that's difficult to balance of course) and try to bring manufacturers there. It's a run for longer time but who knows maybe it can be the way.

Anyway for success of GTs they can't be introduced to be pushed aside into some nameless cup and made so slow that they don't speak into the overall results. They must be allowed to fight for a real title and they must be allowed to fast enough to achieve that.

[Rally Power]

I like the suggestion on another forum of an European International Tarmac series - far more 'road relevant' than a series made up of lots of dry, dusty gravel events. Of course it will never / can't happen.

That's what RGT Cup could be, but there's no need to turn ERC into a tarmac rally series because the real issue is FIA attitude towards Gt’s in rally.

RGT regs shows that FIA is very hypocrite on this matter. They recognize there’s a market for it (the several national tarmac rally champs around Europe) but they don’t want RGT to be a top category in european rallying and come out with a penalizing regulation.

Because there are no manus involved, RGT crisis doesn't really bother FIA officials, but they should have more respect for privateers and get some decent rules.

[Jack4688`]

For me, A Ferrari, Porsche, Gordon, McLaren, Lotus-battle could be a very cool add on to some events

A what?!

[Mirek]

They only Gordon I know (besides the Dakar driver) is a little Czech company producing a roadster similar to Morgan Aero.

[Jack4688`]

I'd like to see them have their own series i.e. not at rallies currently part of the WRC/ERC etc. so that they were competing at the top of the event billing. Of course such events would need some amount of domestic entries to make it viable for the respective rally promoters so therefore would need an event where no entry in an R5 or above is permitted.

For example two very good European events not currently part of the WRC or ERC are Rallye du Valais and Rali da Madeira but imagine telling the Swiss & Portuguese/Madeiran drivers who have an S2000 or R5 car they will no longer be competing there because the RGTs are what the fans want to see and we can't have you beating them...