Jänner Rally 2016 cancelled

[Mirek]

I admit I was caught with my pants down as I would never think that someone would complain that more entries mean more cost and more problems. If the organization really thinks like that then I wish that Acores is as soon as possible out of the championship.

[dodge33cymru]

Losing Skoda's backing for WRC2 is a big blow for the series, as I see it. Last year there were good-as two works Peugeots and two works Skodas throughout, whereas this year there's only one full-time Peugeot. WRC2 is growing in stature, partially due to it being better for youngsters looking to catch the eye of WRC teams, especially when they have learnt the same events.

With the swing of the WRC realising it can't live without its classics, and the IRC platform folding, this is to be expected and, unless more works or consistent entries can be gained, the series probably has an uncertain long-term future as it will struggle for improved coverage on the dismal offering Eurosport is giving it this year. Which is a real shame, because Eurosport's IRC coverage was probably the best rallying has been covered in many years, if not ever.

Sorry, I'm rambling there. I really hope the ERC can pull it around in terms of attracting quality fields of both locals and internationals; it certainly has the right events to deserve popularity.

[Fran2013]

I admit I was caught with my pants down as I would never think that someone would complain that more entries mean more cost and more problems. If the organization really thinks like that then I wish that Acores is as soon as possible out of the championship.

More teams= Bigger ferry + expenses in Hotels and flights

It is ridiculous that you think that is better to have quantity over quality. Amazing. Why not ban every event that has an entry limit ? Le Mans ? Dakar ?

I know a couple of people who wanted to travel to the Azores from Lisbon and Porto to see the rally and canceled because of the low level of entries.

And that is hurting the event.

Off course we know that many in central europe want to ban de event. It is far away, etc.... This is why they put the rally in this stupid dates

[RS]

Coverage for ERC is still a lot better than for WRC2. Day one coverage of WRC2 from Portugal was less than one minute...

And if the cancellation of Janner is all Eurosport's fault why don't they just run the event as a non-ERC Rally?

Regarding Azores: http://irc.rallye-info.com/article.a...=11&stid=12338

[Mirek]

More teams= Bigger ferry + expenses in Hotels and flights

It is ridiculous that you think that is better to have quantity over quality. Amazing. Why not ban every event that has an entry limit ? Le Mans ? Dakar ?

A healthy championship must have some quantity. Championship with three good drivers and nobody else is no championship. I understand that for Acores it's different but any other ERC rally welcomes the quantity as well. You are the only exception. If You are happy with having three top drivers and don't want to see anybody else from Europe than we have nothing more to speak about.

I know a couple of people who wanted to travel to the Azores from Lisbon and Porto to see the rally and canceled because of the low level of entries.

It's their choice but who did they expect to come? Don't they follow ERC? Majority of ERC regulars is there so why is the final list shocking?

Off course we know that many in central europe want to ban de event. It is far away, etc.... This is why they put the rally in this stupid dates

Come on. Where did You hear such bullshit and what the hell has central Europe to do with ERC calendar? Any more conspiracy theories?

Anyway Acores is beautiful rally but if the organization doesn't want entrants who aren't big enough stars than they shall be out. They are part of championship, not some all star event.

[Fran2013]

A healthy championship must have some quantity. Championship with three good drivers and nobody else is no championship. I understand that for Acores it's different but any other ERC rally welcomes the quantity as well. You are the only exception. If You are happy with having three top drivers and don't want to see anybody else from Europe than we have nothing more to speak about.



It's their choice but who did they expect to come? Don't they follow ERC? Majority of ERC regulars is there so why is the final list shocking?



Come on. Where did You hear such bullshit and what the hell has central Europe to do with ERC calendar? Any more conspiracy theories?

Anyway Acores is beautiful rally but if the organization doesn't want entrants who aren't big enough stars than they shall be out. They are part of championship, not some all star event.

Again, you think that everything is OK.

Do you really understand what is 1 million Euros for a region of 240.000 people ? Can you imagine the czech government giving 50 millions Euros to Eurosport to promote Barum and then have an entry list like this ? With no live tv ? Between two gravel WRC events ?

Maybe you don´t remember, but this rally was scheduled to be held 1 week after rally Portugal. Does it make any sense ?

A small question: What would you prefer in Barum: 10 WRC Drivers or 20 ERC drivers ?

[WUff1]

Well no suprise at all. After the many frictions around this year´s edition I already suspected this soon after the rally. Main reasons are the date (Jänner Rallye would never have achieved big entries in ERC field because of the date), the dying Austrian rally scene on national championship level (which is only still some kind of vivid in sprint rally championship), and retirement of Czech championship. Not to forget media reports bashing ERC-field around Baumschlager´s start only in national field

If there´s some kind of Jänner Rallye again (don´t really think so), I suppose it won´t be in the same area. But not in the next years

[Mirek]

Again, you think that everything is OK.

No, I don't think that everything is ok. I just see strange logic from You. You see Rally Acores purely as a marketing tool for the islands but You forget that at first place it is part of an international championship. You keep complaining that the championship has too many competitors but not enough top ones for making a good enough advertisement for the islands. In that case take Your money and invest them into something else.

Do you really understand what is 1 million Euros for a region of 240.000 people ? Can you imagine the czech government giving 50 millions Euros to Eurosport to promote Barum and then have an entry list like this ? With no live tv ? Between two gravel WRC events ?

So, Your government invests into the rally more than ours into Barum. It's big investment for sure but the more they shall think about what they get. If they are not satisfied they shall invest into something else. With Eurosport it's normal business relationship after all.

Maybe you don´t remember, but this rally was scheduled to be held 1 week after rally Portugal. Does it make any sense ?

No, it makes no sense but tell me what has central Europe to do with that as You said?

A small question: What would you prefer in Barum: 10 WRC Drivers or 20 ERC drivers ?

Spectator would for sure prefer ten WRC drivers but You have to see it from the opposite side as well. It's the job of promoter to attract more regulars to the championship, not only into the main category but also into juniors, gr.N or 2WD. That is what Eurosport is currently successful in despite less interest from manufacturers in the very top category. It's also not fair to put all the blame on Eurosport when the main issue is that Peugeot is broke and it's R5 car is crap and Škoda went to WRC most likely due to internal VAG politics.

[dodge33cymru]

I think one of the real shames here is that we've gone from live coverage at some point in almost every round (I would never have considered visiting the Azores until I saw live coverage of the rally) to nothing at all, which is more down to the two manufacturers not wanting it, for the reasons Mirek gives above. I doubt it makes significant difference, if any, to the cost for the organisers, but it must massively lessen the ROI for the host region.

Motorsport spectating has taken me to parts of the world I would never have considered visiting otherwise, many of which I've gone back to just to visit and recommended to others (Mosel, Finnskogen, Ypres, Loire Valley and several more), but it's always been a strong event that's made me want to go there in the first place. This year I intend to visit Valais; an area I would never have heard of but for rallying coverage.

So it can be worthwhile for these areas, but they have to be guaranteed coverage, which can be brought about either through the promoter's media contracts (often assisted by manufacturer entries) or the entrants themselves. If neither of those is forthcoming, then no wonder the rally doesn't make sense for the current region to support.

[rallyfiend]

Coverage for ERC is still a lot better than for WRC2. Day one coverage of WRC2 from Portugal was less than one minute...

And if the cancellation of Janner is all Eurosport's fault why don't they just run the event as a non-ERC Rally?

Regarding Azores: http://irc.rallye-info.com/article.a...=11&stid=12338

Not true at all.

There was a bunch of WRC2 cars in the Live TV programmes - both SS1 and the first run of Fafe. Hence why we were able to see Ketomaa have his accident etc.. Live on WRC has got to be far more valuable than Live on Eurosport...