WRC future

[doubled1978]

Yeah, the mythical 'casual fan' - who doesn't really exist. I remember a discussion on this years ago on Midweek Motorsport. Concentrate on your core support - if you gain extra fans, then good. But never alienate the core fans = bad move. Motorsport is niche - and rallying is even more of a niche in motorsport.

I agree that Rallying is niche, but I think that it benefits from that as well, as it’s not circuit racing and offers something very different to everything else.
That appeals to both fans and competitors.
Everything gets measured against football which is unrealistic, in recent years I think the WRC has done a good job of working it’s own angles. It’s never again going to be a threat to F1 globally as it once was, and it’s not trying to be...
The biggest challenge to Motorsport as a whole is how it adapts to full electrification in line with car industry, Formula E has had decent success, but it is very slow and dull and if that doesn’t change soon the novelty will soon wear off to the public.

[T16]

I agree that Rallying is niche, but I think that it benefits from that as well, as it’s not circuit racing and offers something very different to everything else.
That appeals to both fans and competitors.
Everything gets measured against football which is unrealistic, in recent years I think the WRC has done a good job of working it’s own angles. It’s never again going to be a threat to F1 globally as it once was, and it’s not trying to be...
The biggest challenge to Motorsport as a whole is how it adapts to full electrification in line with car industry, Formula E has had decent success, but it is very slow and dull and if that doesn’t change soon the novelty will soon wear off to the public.

Biggest (OK - short term) challenge may well be adapting to living with Covid. Just thinking outside the box a bit here, but rallying may well be allowed to get going again sooner that a lot of other spectator sports, given the 'natural' social distancing the sport hosts already. If it can get up and running when other motorsports are working out how to run in front of a packed crowd, it may just do the sport some good.. Hopefully it will make up for all those 'fans' who jump ship because of a bit of a bodywork change.
Complete speculation of course, but the sport could really do with a little something right now (and that's before the Covid).

[doubled1978]

Biggest (OK - short term) challenge may well be adapting to living with Covid. Just thinking outside the box a bit here, but rallying may well be allowed to get going again sooner that a lot of other spectator sports, given the 'natural' social distancing the sport hosts already. If it can get up and running when other motorsports are working out how to run in front of a packed crowd, it may just do the sport some good.. Hopefully it will make up for all those 'fans' who jump ship because of a bit of a bodywork change.
Complete speculation of course, but the sport could really do with a little something right now (and that's before the Covid).

Yes, Covid is of course the short term challenge for everything, and I agree with you and have had the same conversation with my wife, that WRC might be in better position to get going with a crowd sooner due to the natural ability to social distance more easily.
The biggest issue I suppose is that unlike a stadium or circuit, that can be closed and policed, a rally is very difficult stop people getting in if they really want to, so does that in itself prevent the events going ahead if they could have done behind closed doors?
I think in the case of WRGB, behind closed doors isn’t an option as they rely on ticket sales anyway.
I’m interested to see how Silverstone is going to be recompensed for running 1 or 2 Grand Prix behind closed doors should that happen, as it has the same issue, needs ticket sales.

[T16]

Yes, Covid is of course the short term challenge for everything, and I agree with you and have had the same conversation with my wife, that WRC might be in better position to get going with a crowd sooner due to the natural ability to social distance more easily.
The biggest issue I suppose is that unlike a stadium or circuit, that can be closed and policed, a rally is very difficult stop people getting in if they really want to, so does that in itself prevent the events going ahead if they could have done behind closed doors?
I think in the case of WRGB, behind closed doors isn’t an option as they rely on ticket sales anyway.
I’m interested to see how Silverstone is going to be recompensed for running 1 or 2 Grand Prix behind closed doors should that happen, as it has the same issue, needs ticket sales.

I'm guessing that F1 will fund the Silverstone rounds? I'm still in two minds about how this will work... won't they need a huge amount of medical personnel to be present and can this be done without pulling from the NHS in the slightest? If there's the tiniest amount of bad publicity associated with using NHS staff for motorsport in the current situation, I can't see it going ahead. Saying that, I'd trade watching ten GPs to get to see a couple of rallies and a road race.

[AnttiL]

Yeah, the mythical 'casual fan' - who doesn't really exist. I remember a discussion on this years ago on Midweek Motorsport. Concentrate on your core support - if you gain extra fans, then good. But never alienate the core fans = bad move. Motorsport is niche - and rallying is even more of a niche in motorsport.

The only casual fan I can think of is the one who sits in his living room on a weekend afternoon and opens the TV and sees rallying, and decides not to change the channel.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

I am saying I will watch whatever the rule makers deem to be the WRC car category (or whatever it is rebranded as). I think that's fair enough, as a rally fan. Shame you seem to be a fan, but can't support M-Sport using a Puma or whatever. Do you honestly think it's going to look crap and not be entertaining? It will be a full-spec rallycar, built by one of the best teams in the world and driven by the top drivers in the world... of course it's going to be spectacular.
Sorry Eddie, but it shows your true colours when it comes to this sport if you are going to jump ship just because of a tiny bit of different bodywork. pathetic TBH.

And your argument about who will drive it doesn't have much weight behind it:

Ogier is (potentially) retiring at the end of this year, so the next gen being SUV is nothing to do with whether he will drive or not.
Neuville said 'he's not happy and Tanak 'says no'.... OK - jog on then boys and we'll have plenty of takers who can do the same job thanks. So no, I really don't see them talking away from their multi-million paid jobs, just because the regs aren't to their liking. They'll still be there.

You're attitude is actually the pathetic one saying that you will accept and watch whatever they put out there.

What sort of argument is that on the future of rally and what the fans want to see ? 'Err OK just do what you like and we'll put up with it'. How will that go down with the other fans who desperately want to see something that looks and sounds like a rally car ?

I'm not jumping ship you prat. I said the general public wont get into rallying if the cars are really ugly and sound shit. M-Sport or whoever will follow the (Ford) marketing and the engineers wont get a big say. Fans need to bring their views and put some pressure on.

The future of WRC is at stake here and rolling over and saying 'anything is fine by me' is no way to get what fans really want.

[doubled1978]

I'm guessing that F1 will fund the Silverstone rounds? I'm still in two minds about how this will work... won't they need a huge amount of medical personnel to be present and can this be done without pulling from the NHS in the slightest? If there's the tiniest amount of bad publicity associated with using NHS staff for motorsport in the current situation, I can't see it going ahead. Saying that, I'd trade watching ten GPs to get to see a couple of rallies and a road race.

I presume they will have to, or at the very least waive the hosting fees as the F1 business model is based around the circuit owners making their money from ticket sales.
I think they are basing their tentative plans around the virus being suppressed enough by then that their is enough capacity within the emergency services that the events can run. The premier league is having the same discussions, but for them they have to try and complete around 100 matches to finish the season, and to get through that without any infections sounds difficult to me.
WRGB has the advantage of being quite late in the year, so unless something goes terribly wrong with virus transmission, I would hope that it should be clear to run.
I enjoy F1, sportscars, GT’s etc as well as rallying, and I live a stones throw from Silverstone so I usually go and watch several events there through the year.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Here's a quote from a Focus ST forum I use...

DanJ1992
15 Apr 2020
As a big m-sport fan I really hope they dont make a switch to the Puma, its flippin horendous...

[T16]

Here's a quote from a Focus ST forum I use...

DanJ1992
15 Apr 2020
As a big m-sport fan I really hope they dont make a switch to the Puma, its flippin horendous...

That settles it then.

[doubled1978]

You're attitude is actually the pathetic one saying that you will accept and watch whatever they put out there.

What sort of argument is that on the future of rally and what the fans want to see ? 'Err OK just do what you like and we'll put up with it'. How will that go down with the other fans who desperately want to see something that looks and sounds like a rally car ?

I'm not jumping ship you prat. I said the general public wont get into rallying if the cars are really ugly and sound shit. M-Sport or whoever will follow the (Ford) marketing and the engineers wont get a big say. Fans need to bring their views and put some pressure on.

The future of WRC is at stake here and rolling over and saying 'anything is fine by me' is no way to get what fans really want.

I have my doubts that the wishes of the fans will have much impact on what the future of WRC looks like.
If Hyundai/Ford or whoever decide they what to compete with a car badged as Kona/Puma or whatever, they will and if we as fans then decide we don’t like that, and don’t watch, then they won’t compete at all.
I think with the announcement that they will keep the GRE engines, and the fact that the body panels will be able to be scaled to fit, will safeguard the sound and visuals in the most part. I think the WRC have been conscious that these factors are important to the WRC spectacle and have arranged the rules to facilitate this, while listening to the needs of the brands who want to promote their vehicles within the sport.
If the WRC starts demanding they only want sporty coupes or whatever then I think very quickly it’ll all be over.