2013 ERC News and Results

[Sulland]

Maybe it would be wiser to have an undisputed manu oriented WRC and a complementary amateur friendly.

Fully agree.

IMO if we could get rid of manufacturers in WRC as well, it would be good.
what good have they given the sport over the last decades, besides making the top cars too advanced and expensive for talent to have a chance to compete with Manu cars?

[Mirek]

Probably they'll only learn how to beat each other...

Each corporation (RedBull/Eurosport) will have a strong rally product to sell (WRC/IRC*) in a limited market (motorsport tv audience), so they'll end to make the series rivals.

I doubt it'll be good for the sport to have 2 international rally series disputing manufactureurs involvement and rally organizers commitment, especcialy in a economical recessive environment like the one we're living.

Maybe it would be wiser to have an undisputed manu oriented WRC and a complementary amateur friendly ERC.


*let's not be naive; to keep ERC brand it's only a political agreement between FIA and Europort. The goal of the series will remain IRC goal: a strong alternative to WRC.

Last many years proved that European championship with just several gentleman amateur drivers didn't deserve it's name at all. It was just a joke. There was no interest among the drives even without any involvement of factories.

[AndyRAC]

This could, and should be a good thing. And the whole of Rallying should benefit. Having 2 competing series has never worked - history has proved that; CART v IndyRacingLeague is one example.
The WRC is the Premier series, the new ERC (incorporating the IRC) is a level below, in the sports heartlands. What direction they go, is anybody's guess, but I hope for something like a 8-10 event Championship - with a good mix of Gravel, Tarmac and a Winter/ snow event.
So, I'd include; Ypres, Zlin, Sanremo, Corse, Valais, Scotland, Cyprus, Arctic, etc

The writing has been on the wall for the IRC this year, with too many 'non descript' events and less than stellar entries.

[Arganil]

Having 2 competing series has never worked - history has proved that; CART v IndyRacingLeague is one example.

That's my point! If FIA manage to put RedBull and Eurosport working together it'll be a success, otherwise it'll end damaging the sport (don't forget WRC tv coverage decline in result of Eurosport/ISC confrontation).

There aren't so many potencial manufactureurs that can get involved at international rallying and tv audiences are always under great dispute by all kinds of sports, so if we create an opportunity to split vital resources we'll end to waste them without real compensation. In other words: it's better to have one great series than two or more medium series (F1 sucess recipe).

Don't get me wrong, back in 2006 IRC was an exciting bold move against FIA indolence over the sport. But IRC purpose was to "give new opportunites to young or amateur rally drivers competing in international rallies" and almost right away it has changed into a manufactureur mandatory registered 14 events series!

[Mirek]

Agranil, don't twist facts, please. There was never any mandatory registration for any number of events. The only and understandable point was that manufacturers who wanted to take part had to pay a fee. That's totally normal because IRC has always been a commercial project and never any kind of charity. It still kept very privateer-friendly rules. Any privateer can do whatever number of events he wants and doesn't need neither any registration nor any payment. He only needs a car of registered manufacturer but the championship entry was payed by the manufacturer not by the privateer like in SWRC or PWRC.

Also since the very beginning it was made for S2000 cars and for manufacturers. Remember who won in the very first season all events where was entered? Yes, works team of Abarth. Since the next season Peugeot joined and since then the number of directly involved manufacturers raised year by year till the point when first Peugeot destroyed Abarth and later Škoda destroyed Peugeot and Proton. I remeber very well we had 9 Peugeots in top 10 of Barum rally 2008. Pity PSA is bad looser and they quit waiting for new rules rather than continue fight with the opponent who came to their territory and won. It's funny how it was all fine for PSA in 2008.

[Mirek]

Little statistics of IRC to show that it has always been same with dominance of works or semi-works teams.
2006 - 4 events - 3 won by works crew, 1 by privateer (Abarth wasn't there)
2007 - 9 events - 6 won by works crews, 2 by semi-works crew (Peugeot Italia) and 1 by privateer (no manufacturer entered)
2008 - 10 events - 6 won by works crews (counting Hänninen here as he used Kronos car same as official drivers), 2 won by semi-works crew (Peugeot Italia), 1 by privateer (no manufacturer entered)
2009 - 11 events - 9 won by works crews (counting Peugeot UK here as they used same car as official drivers), 1 by semi-works crew (ŠKoda UK - that event without works car), 1 by privateer (no manufacturer entered)
2010 - 12 events - 9 won by works crews, 2 by semi-works crews (Peugeot Italia, Peugeot Portugal), 1 by privateer (no manufacturer entered)
2011 - 11 events - 11 won by works crews
2012 - so far 10 events, 7 won by works crews, 1 won by semi-works team (Ford Turkey), 2 by privateers (Basso, Sordo - but that's questionable)

[Arganil]

Agranil, don't twist facts, please. There was never any mandatory registration for any number of events. The only and understandable point was that manufacturers who wanted to take part had to pay a fee. That's totally normal because IRC has always been a commercial project and never any kind of charity.

I'm not twisting facts. IRC was early promoted as a competition for drivers, but after 2006 experimental season it was clear that it was meant to become a manufactureur WRC rival series.

That's way they changed their name from international to intercontinental, they recruited unpleased wrc events organizers, they promoted a manufactureur title alongside existing driver title, and, above all, they ended WRC tv coverage on eurosport channels.

If in the rally reklless minds of FIA directors at the Mosley era IRC was presented as a manufactureur series, surely some signing bells should have ringed in order to restrain Eurosport intentions. That was not the case, and Europort wisely profit from the indolent ruler in order to expand this rally series, overwelmed received by all wrc disapointed rally fans.

Again, don't get me wrong: in those WRC troubled years IRC was a breath of fresh air and the sport hugely benefit from it, but now that seems that FIA is puting WRC all together it could be time to turn IRC into a private teams oriented series, not a manufactureur wrc refuge, as it seems it will again be the case with this new R5 cars.

[Mirek]

Answer yourself. Was ERC worth following last ten years? It was what You want IRC to become - a championship of privateers. You can see only very few were interested despite they could win an official FIA championship title unlike in the IRC. Thanks god there has always been one really good driver to take the crown and we didn't have European champion like Tlusťák or Ruta. I have nothing personal against them but the sport should have a champion having skills.

[Arganil]

ERC can be reinvented in many ways. It hasn’t to be a gentleman drivers parade or a manufacturers refuge.

FIA should encourage european top drivers to compete in a ‘grand slam’ from european rallies, alongside their national championships.

For instance, besides the anonymous and unchallenging FIA euro zones cups, there’s a vacant space to introduce an European Super Cup, formed by a limited number (3 or 4) of iconic rallies. With a decent media exposure it could be an affordable alternative to ERC/IRC for private teams.

[Mirek]

How in reality You would like to select who is manufacturer entry and who is privateer? Was Kronos private team? I don't think so but how would You put it black on white paper to select which team is the true private one? What if I have a billion and rent a car from M-Sport with big testing and unlimited spares. Am I privateer if I'm entered on my license name?

I agree with the need to change or cancel the useless zone cups.