Rally Wrc France-Alsace 2014

[vino_93]

Here's something.. Some people say " Rally France and Rally Gemany are just so many km apart and looks the same...blah blah..."
But do they? I see trees--ya know those BIG gree things and the stick out of the ground like 5-8-10 meters high and the give me the impression that these guys are running thru a thing called "a forest"....like this wonderful shot here:


There is no fawkin way I am going to mistake that shot for one of a car on some circuit going in circles!

In Germania it looks like vines--ordered neatly arranged vines about shoulder height.....
That seems a little different. Just a bit.

Are these 2 events too alike? Should 1 go somewhere else? Which one? Why?

Maybe this whole thing is an extending complement t that great shot--don't know I think I am sick..

Well, it's only because Rallye de France changed his route. Usually it was a little in Vosges moutains, and then a lot in Alsace, in vineyards. But this year their was maybe only 1% of the rally in vineyards, all the rest was in Vosges. I think it's due to problem with wineries, and damages in the vineyards.
The same problem exists in Germany. If Germany has to change his route, but staying in Trier, where will they got ? In Eifel, which is quite similar to Vosges ...

By the way I find the 2014 roads quite disappointing. A lot of stages weren't exciting, to wide roads without difficulties, even if some stages were really beautiful. If Rallye de France has to stay in calendar (I'm not in favour of it, but that's not me who choose), I'd like to seem him in another place in metropolitan France (maybe North, close to Belgium, or west like in Normandy where roads are beautiful).

[vino_93]

Rallye de France-Alsace is the most spectator-unfriendly event of WRC and ERC combined. The first 2 years (2010 and 2011) it was quite ok in my opinion, but spectators were behaving extremely dangerous (it's a miracle no big accidents took place). After that the organisation had to do something, but it's too radical. Same could be seen with Rallye Deutschland this year, they couldn't let it continue as it did, but they are too radical on the other side now. Of course it's not easy to find the compromise for being not too dangerous and still enjoyable for the numerous spectators.

I think that's not only link to Rallye de France, but it's global in French rallying. All the races are spectators-unfriendly here now ...

[Mirek]

I think that's not only link to Rallye de France, but it's global in French rallying. All the races are spectators-unfriendly here now ...

Not only in France...

[Rally Power]

For me Sousa's performance in WRC-2 is more a proof of the poor condition of the championship, than of his "amazing talent". And yes he did good with his win in Azores, but Vaclav Pech won Barum Rally this year and that also doesn't make him a WRC star...

Sousa isn't a tourist and neither he’s a WRC star, but he’s trying harder to become one!

I’m a Sousa fan as much as I’m a Abbring fan or a Maurin fan, etc; above all I’m a Rally fan and try to be fair with all those guys, not judging their ups and downs to lightly or severely.

Take the Meeke example, a lot of us would easily forget his name after his inconsistent JWRC attempts, but then he got the IRC chance and proved to have achieved enough maturity to full fit all his potential.

From his earlier continental Portuguese rally shows (Sousa is from the Madeira island) in a Evo, Sousa proved to be hugely fast but not totally committed to the sport. Then he made some erratic career movements and easily was seen as another rich daddy’s boy wasted talent.

Somehow he surpassed this unjust reputation (probably by getting a stable co driver like Hugo and an enthusiastic team like AT rally) and become mentally stronger in order to materialize all his talent.

Therefore his recent results shouldn't be wrongly judge as a championship lack of quality sign because they’re mostly a sign of a driver’s progress towards his maximum potential.

Best luck to him!

[MK2 BDG]

Well, it's only because Rallye de France changed his route. Usually it was a little in Vosges moutains, and then a lot in Alsace, in vineyards. But this year their was maybe only 1% of the rally in vineyards, all the rest was in Vosges. I think it's due to problem with wineries, and damages in the vineyards.
The same problem exists in Germany. If Germany has to change his route, but staying in Trier, where will they got ? In Eifel, which is quite similar to Vosges ...

By the way I find the 2014 roads quite disappointing. A lot of stages weren't exciting, to wide roads without difficulties, even if some stages were really beautiful. If Rallye de France has to stay in calendar (I'm not in favour of it, but that's not me who choose), I'd like to seem him in another place in metropolitan France (maybe North, close to Belgium, or west like in Normandy where roads are beautiful).

vino_93 Have you competed in both the German and current French round of the WRC ??
France has barely changed since it moved in 2010,, this year the vineyard Kelvar stages was not used, like the past 4 years

Try driving the roads used this year,, certainly not disappointing from a driver's prospective

[vino_93]

No that's only a spectator point of view. Maybe the feeling by driving was different I most admit, as a spectator (and TV spectator particularly), I found the 2010 / 2011 edition better, with a mix of vineyards and Vosges. This year only Vosges, I found some stages not really interesting on very large roads (at least for Rally). But as I said, only a spectator point of view. Driving is probably other thing.

[makinen_fan]

Turn up your speakers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzJguNWAVeM

[Mirek]

Still sound a little bit lame compared to the unrestricted one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Np4jlbKck

[gorganl2000]

Still sound a little bit lame compared to the unrestricted one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Np4jlbKck

now i absolutely like the sound of that one

[lewalcindor]

Still sound a little bit lame compared to the unrestricted one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Np4jlbKck

Nothing beats the sound of Dobberkau's 997, except for maybe the Audi Quattros during the Group B era.