[WRC] News & Rumours 2021

[Francis44]

I'd rather take a 200km rally in a single day. Start early and finish in the dark(prime time).

I agree 100%. Infact I would even rephrase my first comment specifying that the problem is indeed the crazy amount of days that a event runs on. We need 1-2 days rallys asap, with the most kms possible.

We also need to remember that if we keep a rally centered around a specific area and run all the stages close to the service park, we would also have a much needed improvement in the broadcast quality. We need to get rid of shoddy, grey, low quality onboards.

But I will say it again, It is laughable and downright embarassing that in this day and age we believe this sport (or any motorsport for that matter) is capable of gluing people infront of their laptops or smartphones for 4-5 days, sometimes more than once a month.

No. F1 does their races in three days, training and qualifying included. Dakar is...? ten days or so. Why couldn´t WRC run Friday to Sunday.

And Dakar runs how many times per year?! AFAIK just one.

And in F1 you tune in for 1h30 on Thursdays/Fridays for FP, more or less 1H for qualifying and 90 mins for the race. A small part of your day.

[Mirek]

Only problem i marketing and Liveaction from stages in this very moment doesn´t reach the big audience.

This and that won't get better with longer and more packed rally days. In fact the opposite would result from that. Common people won't spend more than one hour a day with WRC no matter how many stages that day are run (likely even less).

For me the format of the event isn't a thing worth vasting energy at this moment.

The true issue is how to make the sport attractive as a whole. Without no direct head to head competition it is difficult to sell the live footage (the comparison with Dakar isn't perfect too because Dakars doesn't run every two or three weeks). With driving in the wild nature it's difficult to sell the sport to ever more environment-safe thinking of the public. The cars are generally less and and less viewed as something sporty, for most of the general public they become just a mean of transport and nothing more. The nature of rallying makes it one of the hardest motorsports to go hybrid or electric. That is a major obstacle for attracting manufacturers but also a major political issue. Really there are much bigger problems than too few stages per day...

[Francis44]

The nature of rallying makes it one of the hardest motorsports to go hybrid or electric. That is a major obstacle for attracting manufacturers but also a major political issue. Really there are much bigger problems than too few stages per day...

Genuine question. Why do you think then F1 keeps growing their fanbase while running some city circuits where the air quality concerns are obviously ever present? And to an audience just as environmentally aware?

[Mirek]

Genuine question. Why do you think then F1 keeps growing their fanbase while running some city circuits where the air quality concerns are obviously ever present? And to an audience just as environmentally aware?

Does it grow? I know personally just one guy who follows it and even he uses it more or less as a background for the Sunday after-lunch siesta. When I was younger nearly everyone I knew followed F1. As a child I cried when I watched Senna's accident in Imola 94 live. I used to have three calendars in our children bedroom - one F1, one MotoGP and one WRC. I have never seen that with the children of my friends and relatives in last years. Maybe it's just this country but here the passion is long gone.

To be honest I can't answer your question because I haven't followed F1 for many years.

[vino_93]

Looks like it's growing a bit from last seasons. Hard to compare to the 90's anyway : https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...pagvPoPUQ.html

[dimviii]

too many crews with Bell this year

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEJ_84H...d=5rd5igtaat6a

[Fast Eddie WRC]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/new-m...ra-after-2022/Matton thinks a new manufacturer could join the hybrid regulations but not in 2022

I'd been thinking how unlikely it'll be that a new Manu will join the WRC under the new Regs and how tough it would be for them to come in and then compete with the established teams...

But then I recalled what the past has shown - that in 2013 Volkswagen joined and blew everyone away instantly, and in 2017 Toyota joined and have since won both the Manu's & WDC.

So maybe we can be a little more optimistic of a new Manu joining at least in this regard. There is a chance one might believe they can be equally successful and give it a shot...

[doubled1978]

Does it grow? I know personally just one guy who follows it and even he uses it more or less as a background for the Sunday after-lunch siesta. When I was younger nearly everyone I knew followed F1. As a child I cried when I watched Senna's accident in Imola 94 live. I used to have three calendars in our children bedroom - one F1, one MotoGP and one WRC. I have never seen that with the children of my friends and relatives in last years. Maybe it's just this country but here the passion is long gone.

To be honest I can't answer your question because I haven't followed F1 for many years.

I think probably overall it does grow as they bring the races to new markets, but I think you are also correct in that in the traditional strongholds of the fan base (Europe), it isn’t the same as it was before.

[Sulland]

Seems like Stilo have had close to monopoly last 5 years, it is good they get some competition.
Strange that OMP or Sparco does not come with top notch open helmets with a very good noice cancelling intercom system.

The large helmet producers like Arai, Shoei, Schubert, that are in other motorsports are major producers, mainly in full face/ Integral helmets, they dont have open face helmet for car sports.

It is big sponsormoney involved in racing on 2 and 4 wheels for top pilots when it comes to choosing helmet brand.
Not that much for rally pilots it seems.
Maybe Bell is about to change that.

[Co-driven]

Seems like Stilo have had close to monopoly last 5 years, it is good they get some competition.
Strange that OMP or Sparco does not come with top notch open helmets with a very good noice cancelling intercom system.

The large helmet producers like Arai, Shoei, Schubert, that are in other motorsports are major producers, mainly in full face/ Integral helmets, they dont have open face helmet for car sports.

It is big sponsormoney involved in racing on 2 and 4 wheels for top pilots when it comes to choosing helmet brand.
Not that much for rally pilots it seems.
Maybe Bell is about to change that.

OMP bought Bell last year (or maybe 2019).