[WRC] News & Rumours 2021

[Rally Hokkaido]

Yes, it was announced about a month ago

Thanks. I missed that news.

[Andre Oliveira]

[RS]

If the charade of WRC2(néePro) is to continue, hopefully it's properly supported in 2021...

Hopefully it's correct that Skoda/Toksport will have Mikkelsen and Solberg. It'd be a worthwhile Championship if the other manufacturers actually committed.

I'd love to see:

Skoda/Toksport: Mikkelsen and Solberg
Citreon/PH Sport: Ostberg and Camilli
Hyundai: Huttunen and Tidemand or Breen/Veiby/Loubet (when not in Rally1)
M-Sport: Lappi and Fourmaux

Or if it's not going to be done properly again, don't bother. If WRC2 is going to exist is has to be as a professional category, with the majority of rounds committed, something different from WRC3.

8 WRC full entrants with 8 WRC2 entrants would be a respectable proposition for the top professional level of the sport. WRC Promoter can be pushed to invest in one extra set of onboard camera equipment for live coverage...

This is the dream and a good compromise for those who would have liked Rally2 cars as the top category.

They should provide live tv coverage of maybe the top (12) crews regardless of which category they are in and have starting orders based on that too.

But has there been any word on how WRC2/3 will work in 2021? The season start is only one month away!

[PLuto]

This is the dream and a good compromise for those who would have liked Rally2 cars as the top category.

They should provide live tv coverage of maybe the top (12) crews regardless of which category they are in and have starting orders based on that too.

But has there been any word on how WRC2/3 will work in 2021? The season start is only one month away!

WRC2/3 will be in 2021 in similar format like in 2020. We will see only how it will be with number of counted events and rules for "non-European" events.

[AnttiL]

They should provide live tv coverage of maybe the top (12) crews regardless of which category they are in and have starting orders based on that too.

I've explained this a hundred times, the onboard camera/transmitter kits are expensive and they must choose before the rally which cars they put them in. I don't know what kind of a task it would be to start moving the cameras from car to another during night breaks and what kind of regulations it would need (a camera fitting zone or a permission to break parc ferme for working on the cameras?)

And again, the entry fee in WRC2 is higher and in return the teams get TV coverage. WRC3 teams don't pay for the coverage, so they are not getting it.

[mknight]

I've explained this a hundred times, the onboard camera/transmitter kits are expensive and they must choose before the rally which cars they put them in. I don't know what kind of a task it would be to start moving the cameras from car to another during night breaks and what kind of regulations it would need (a camera fitting zone or a permission to break parc ferme for working on the cameras?)

Onboards are one thing. Deliberately skiping cars on 6 and 7th overall while waiting at stopline for WRC2 crew that is 20 mins behind and not fighting for any championship is something else.

[Franky]

Antti, everything is expensive but All Live is starting it's fourth year and you need to improve and not stagnate.

[AnttiL]

I'm not saying it's a good situation, but I understand why WRC2 is separated from WRC3. I don't have an easy answer. If we have 20 (or 50 like in Monza) RC2 cars on the start line, how do we decide who gets the onboard camera, and gets to be seen on the TV, when the decision has to be made before we've seen their performance?

The situation you're describing from Monza SS13, where WRC3 cars were skipped, is because Fourmaux had started late. Thus Mikkelsen, Lindholm and Solberg had started before him. For a reason or another Mikkelsen's interview was not shown, but Lindholm's and Solberg's were. They didn't have onboard cameras on those cars, and no land cameras (remember the cameramen were out in the mountains that day and it was dark anyway). Even if they had had one or two land cameras, it couldn't have covered the two minute gap between the cars. Hence the only footage they could show was Fourmaux's onboard (and turbo camera...what will they come up with next?)

[Lancia Stratos]

Antti, everything is expensive but All Live is starting it's fourth year and you need to improve and not stagnate.

And, of course, there has been a huge mount of money splashing around this year after the cancellation of half the champion ship and the associated revenue losses.....

[Andre Oliveira]

Stop wasting time and money on start of the stage and the stupid thing of show every start of stage when the crew is allready on middle of that stage.