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  1. #1
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    FIA Rally Working Group: the future of WRC and the rally sport

    At the Baku World Motor Sport Council meeting in December 2023, a rally working group was announced to discuss the future of rallying, from WRC to grassroots. The working group's immediate concern is the technical, sporting and promotional aspects of WRC. Leading the group is Robert Reid and Dave Richards. Simultaneously, a new points format was announced for WRC 2024 season.

    Like it or not, fundamental changes to what rallying is must be expected over the next few years or the sport becomes historic, a pastime of the oil age for privateers only taking place on fewer, shorter, events. Governments are phasing out fossil ICE cars and manufacturers are increasingly disinterested in the world series. Rally cars are nothing like consumer road cars unless they're in the ecoRally Cup. ASNs and top drivers are also seemingly giving up on participation.

    This thread was inspired by the lengthy discussion the new points format was getting on the 2024 WRC News and Rumours thread. This could be a good place for sporting and promotional aspects discussion, questions, thrashing ideas or reviewing the working group's progress and proposals with a view to realism or constructivism. Whinging and moaning about how the good old days were better should be discussed elsewhere. Change is coming, or if it's not, try and make a discussable point.

    For car technical discussion see also WRC main class in 2025.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Boyd View Post
    The problem for the enthusiast is the TV & Promotion people trying to turn F1 & WRC from MotorSport to MotorEntertainment. While they are in charge they will always try to add more gimmicks to spice up the show. The FIA needs to stand up to this nonsense. You don't get football matches with bonus points for goals in the last 5 minutes - if a league game is deadlocked it's allowed to finish as a draw. There's a discussion over how dull or entertaining it was and everyone moves on to the next match.
    One problem for many enthusiasts is they haven't realised WRC ceased to be sport a while ago, this is true at Rally1 level. Another is believing the FIA's role is solely as an impartial, wholly sporting governing body.

    Football is full of ideas from 60 minute games to scrapping points for draws, it's not immune. The European Super League is a timely mention with PLuto's comment about needing the FIA. European Court said last week that UEFA/FIFA can't stop that or punish participants. A privately run series might be the only international rallying series in the future if the format doesn't change. FIA won't be backing current format rallying for long.

    Quote Originally Posted by PLuto View Post
    There is no proper chance to make alternative championship. For FIA (and also for WRC Promoter) it is business and they dont want another player on the field. And you cannot make the rally championship without FIA...

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    Senior Member bomber21's Avatar
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    As the time passes, for me one thing is clear: JUST DO WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO ATTRACT MANY MANUFACTURERS. Nothing else matters.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bomber21 View Post
    As the time passes, for me one thing is clear: JUST DO WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO ATTRACT MANY MANUFACTURERS. Nothing else matters.
    For what? Entering WRC and entertaining you through a screen or for building cars you can go rallying with?

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    Senior Member bomber21's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WRCStan View Post
    For what? Entering WRC and entertaining you through a screen or for building cars you can go rallying with?
    To be honest, I do not know, it looks like a dead end. But I understand that a series that interest only privateers/semi works teams with Rally2 will soon become irrelevant and historic.

  6. Likes: WRCStan (29th December 2023)
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    Senior Member Rallyper's Avatar
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    Let´s say international football associations banning a round footballs in the future. Saying round footballs are not environment friendly. They instead recommend cubic balls. What would happen?

    When will electric rallycars be mandatory and only vehicles authorised by FIA? To me I think WRC will vansih. Only village rallies with old cars will be permitted by some exemption.

    Maybe that´s the future.

    I admit I´m just blablablaing...
    "Reis vas pät pat kaar vas kut"
    Tommi Mäkinen, back in the years...

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    Let´s say international football associations banning round footballs in the future. Saying round footballs are not environment friendly. They instead recommend cubic balls. What would happen?

    When will electric rallycars be mandatory and only vehicles authorised by FIA? To me I think WRC will vansih. Only village rallies with old cars will be permitted by some exemption.

    Maybe that´s the future.

    I admit I´m just blablablaing...
    "Reis vas pät pat kaar vas kut"
    Tommi Mäkinen, back in the years...

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    Not mandatory but according to the 2023 Environmental report, experimental EV and Hydrogen will be in WRC from 2025. That was not in the 2022 report so should indicate being a recent idea. Just a graphic though, no explanation and sits alongside hybrid and sustainable fuel until 2027.
    "It's not sport!" - Gilles Panizzi

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    Quote Originally Posted by bomber21 View Post
    As the time passes, for me one thing is clear: JUST DO WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO ATTRACT MANY MANUFACTURERS. Nothing else matters.
    No, you're thinking it backwards. Attracting manufacturers is a consequence of a good healthy sport that has a lot of fans, not the other way around.

    Manufacturers compete because they think they get a good money/exposure ratio to attract potential customers. Sponsors are exactly the same. So you need to do whatever is needed to attrack more fans, which will increase the exposure, which will attract more sponsors, more money and eventually more manufacturers.

    If you chase away fans to try and attract manufacturers, you're only killing the sport. If nobody watches, nobody sees your advertisement anymore, so there is no more reason to put money into the sport, both by sponsors and by manufacturers.

  11. #10
    Senior Member bomber21's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by denkimi View Post
    No, you're thinking it backwards. Attracting manufacturers is a consequence of a good healthy sport that has a lot of fans, not the other way around.

    Manufacturers compete because they think they get a good money/exposure ratio to attract potential customers. Sponsors are exactly the same. So you need to do whatever is needed to attrack more fans, which will increase the exposure, which will attract more sponsors, more money and eventually more manufacturers.

    If you chase away fans to try and attract manufacturers, you're only killing the sport. If nobody watches, nobody sees your advertisement anymore, so there is no more reason to put money into the sport, both by sponsors and by manufacturers.
    So what are you suggesting WRC should do?

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