WRC main class in 2025

[ouvreur]

I agree re hydrogen. Any other fuel has a seriously bad effect on the environment either in production or pollution.

But getting this into rallying just isn't going to happen as most car manufacturers (except Toyota) have gone all-in on EVs and wont be changing any time soon.

In the meantime rallying is and has to be as dirty as every other type of transport and e-fuels are just a PR exercise to cover it up.

Hyundai offer a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for sale in Europe, the Nexo, and have invested heavily in that technology. GM, Land Rover and BMW are all planning hydrogen fuel cell models in the next 5 years.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

FIA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR XAVIER MESTELAN PINON HAS TALKED THROUGH THE OPTIONS...

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/the-f...re-propulsion/

[106 sport]

https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/canar...ial-en-2025-n/

Gran Canaria is looking forward to hosting the World Championship in 2025



The event that currently scores for the European Championship wants to celebrate its 50th anniversary incorporated into the World Championship. The alternation with Catalonia is being considered.

Rallies are the 'national sport' in the Canary Islands. Above football or any other discipline, the specialty of the timed sections is the one that gathers more fans and attention in the Fortunate Islands. This was experienced last weekend at the Rally Islas Canarias, with the ditches full of enthusiasts following the second meeting of the European Championship of the season. But its organizers want more and are already looking forward to hosting the World Championship.
The promoter of the European Championship is the same as that of the World Championship, and that has opened the doors to fight to make the dream of the Canarian fans come true. The negotiation began just when the Rally of Catalonia lost the scoring in the World Championship 2023. Germán Morales, the head of the Rally Islas Canarias, began talks to welcome the WRC to his land. A work that continues at a good pace with the support of the island authorities, who see with very good eyes the project as an excellent showcase for tourism.


The idea would be to host the World Rally starting in 2025, with the aim that in 2026, the year in which the 50th edition of the Rally Islas Canarias will be held, the best drivers and cars in the world will delight the islanders' fans. Several scenarios are being considered, and among them it is not ruled out to start an alternation between the Canary Islands and Catalonia sharing the WRC title.
The rally is one of the most prestigious in Europe, and has in its list of winners the likes of Carlos Sainz, who triumphed in five consecutive editions between 1985 and 1989, Didier Auriol, Piero Liatti, Gilles Panizzi or Chus Puras. Luis Monzón, winner of the race in 1994 and 2008, has affirmed that "the organization has been doing things very well for years and sooner rather than later the Rally Islas Canarias will be in the World Championship. The fans deserve it".

[Fast Eddie WRC]

WRC has reached a critical point says Neuville...

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/n...ange/10467803/

[Eli]

WRC has reached a critical point says Neuville...

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/n...ange/10467803/

Would be nice of him to elaborate on his idea(s), and at least someone over there is pointing out the obvious, Toyota were the last one to join back in 2017 and Citroen have been absent for more than 3 years...and you could definitely say the WRC has been going downhill since, even if at least now they started bothering with new events.

[EstWRC]

This series is dead as hell

Now just 6 cars remaining with Taka continuing with super rally at rally Portugal, so basically 5

WORLD RALLY CHAMPSIONSHIPS, lol

[skarderud]

Rally2 class has to be the mainclass, maybe some +version to be a no1 class.

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[denkimi]

wrc just needs to walk away from the idea that only big car manufacturers are allowed to build a car.
they need to go to a f1 formula where private teams can also build a car and compete.

[seb_sh]

Rally2 class has to be the mainclass, maybe some +version to be a no1 class.

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I was thinking at the start of Portugal that if you downgrade the Rally1 crews to Rally2 cars it would be an awesome start list. Unfortunately then the Rally2 grid was decimated by punctures so it's all a bit pointless now.

[typhoon]

The WRC Promoter can do a lot to improve the championship, I will put some ideas that might help this:

SERVICE PARK

Create them always at the city center or somewhere very easy to access (No more Turkey in the forest or Jordan in the Dead Sea), the location must be central and reachable, while it desperately needs collateral activities and transform it into a "festival" even when the service times are not running. What do I mean: Create nice food courts, engagement areas with the global partners, game areas whether the people can give a shot on the WRC videogame and participate to contests to win gadgets, think about a small stage to host concerts with national guests that can attract also general public.

MEDIA COVERAGE
The Media Mix they decided to pursuit definitely failed, so they need to focus on the following points, in order to have the same revenues from TV rights, having in mind quantity (=cheaper) over quality (i.e. rich ones) of the contracts signed with the broadcasters, which will improve visibility while bringing the same income to the series eventually.
- Free-To-Air broadcasters deals around Europe and in key markets
- Re-develop the whole Asian market, which (except Japan) is almost totally disappeared. What a shame!
- Redevelop their social media strategy, with more engaging and exclusive contents (i.e.: short behind-the-scenes videos and more free live coverage on YouTube, for example during the MediaZone before the service park to wrap-up the day).

EVENT MANAGEMENT
- Create unique and spectacular starts in each event, like the one in Guanajuato, Mexico.
- Mandatory Thursday Superspecial in iconic venues (like the Olympic Stadium SSS in Athens, Greece)
- Set-up iconic spectators area in the Special Stages on all events, with maxiscreens, fan-zones, sponsor stands and VIP areas (Sweden do it very well!)

MARKETING EVENTS
- Revive the WRC Launch Event before the season starts
- Arrange agreements for WRC Road Shows events in key cities (maximum 3 events around the world: Beijing, Sao Paulo, London or Berlin)
- Revive the WRC Awards at the end of the season
- Create 2-3 WRC collective Test events with TV coverage (one before the season starts, another one in Norway on snow before Rally Sweden and another one on gravel before the "gravel season" starts).

E-SPORTS
- Create a new and more spectacular WRC game, which it finally seems in the pipeline with EA Sports-Codemasters
- Develop an arena with 2-3000 spectators for the WRC Game World Finals (Greece can budget it with no problems) with entertaining activities with the fans and the WRC drivers as well.


All that said:
they need to reduce costs of building and maintain a Rally1 car, which is spectacular but way too expensive, while opening finally to the Balance of Performance, in order to attract as much Manufacturers as possible, like perfectly did the ACO and the FIA with the World Endurance Championship, which now in the WRC should be used as a case study.